A/N: Hey. This is my third story, and I'm super psyched. Let me know your thoughts in the comments, and any ideas or whatever you have. This was Beta'd by my good friend and Bro, Lewis Mackay. I'm open to another Beta if you're interested. Thanks. 3 Kayla/Kayden.

Chapter 1: To Hug

Due to the decreased population of the wizarding community caused by the war, the Ministry of Magic is enacting a marriage law. The regulations are as follows:

1. The Ministry will find your soul mate through our means, and you will be considered married from the moment you meet, after both reading the letter.

2. Ages 16-29 will be required to participate.

3. The couple is expected to consummate the union within a month.

4. The couple will be expected to bear children within a year.

5. Homosexual couples are exempt from childbearing requirements, but are required to adopt a magical child within a year.

6. Those who refuse to cooperate will be forced to live as a squib, unable to do magic, but still a part of the magic community, or as a muggle, with no memories or magic abilities, as the Wizangamot sees fit.

7. Contraceptive is banned, until after your third child.

8. Monthly appointments with a healer are mandatory until your third child.

9. Random checks by the ministry will be made to show that couples are cooperating.

10. Sexual activities that lead to pregnancy must happen once a week, after marriage.

11. A charm will be placed to detect sexual activity, and alert the ministry if it is under once a week.

12. One warning will be administered before the couple is punished.

13. After the conception of the first child, monitoring stops. After its birth, monitoring decreases to once in every two weeks. After the second child, monitoring decreases to once a month. After the third, monitoring stops completely.

My hand shakes as I read the letter Mrs. Weasley has passed around. In the centre of the table is a letter for each of us; me, Harry, Ginny, Ron, Fred, George, Percy, and Charlie. They contain the names of the person we're being forced to spend the rest of our lives with.

By the time I've finished reading the letter to myself, everyone has gathered in the kitchen.

"What's wrong, 'Mione?" Ron asks, reaching for the letter. I shake my head.

"I'll just read it aloud, for everyone to hear." My voice is surprisingly steady, and everyone stares at me as I read. Their faces go from disbelief to astonishment to fear. By the end of the letter, the terror on their faces is as clear as mine. I seem to be the only one who can act, because I grab the pile of letters from the centre of the table, and pass them around. Nobody opens theirs though, and Ginny looks like she's going to faint. Harry squeezes her shoulder reassuringly, and she jumps into action, tearing open her letter frantically.

Her eyes go wide, as she throws away the top page containing the rules, and reads the name listed. "Harry!" Her voice is a shriek, and she's in his arms before anyone can react. Their kiss is a little graphic for the current audience, and Ron elbows her hard to separate them. "Oh, bugger off. I just found out he's my soul mate. Let me kiss him." She shoots a glare at him, and he backs off. She does stop kissing Harry, though.

"Okay, who's next?" Ginny asks nervously. Charlie starts tearing his open before anyone can volunteer.

"Rose McCarthy. No idea." He says, looking up at them with a shrug.

"Alright, Percy. You next." Molly urges.

He tears his letter open confidently, but I see his hands trembling slightly. "Penelope Clearwater. As I expected."

"Okay, Fred and George, you next." They open their letters as one, and speak at the same time.

"Hermione Granger."

Everyone's eyes are on me. I find myself landing in a chair, and despite being the strong one all day, my hands are weak as I tear open the letter in front of me. My eyes scan the page, until I find two names at the bottom. The rest of the room voices my astonishment, and I find myself lost for words.

"What? Both of them?"

"Yes, both of them. You dunce."

"That can't be."

"It has to be. It says right here." The letter is taken from my hand, and I let it drop.

"Oh, Hermione. Dear, are you all right?"

"I think she's in shock."

"She's devastated by her luck. She's got the two handsomest blokes in the country."

"Oh, boys. Knock it off."

"Hermione, are you okay?" Harry's voice is quite in my ear, and it snaps me out of my shock. I nod automatically, because I have to be strong for them. If I'm not strong, who will be? "No you're not. Come on. Let's go upstairs and talk about it."

I let him pull me out of the chair, and follow him up to the room I share with Ginny. When the door shuts quietly behind him, I let my panic show.

"There's two of them." is the only thing I can manage to say. It's the only thought in my head since my name came out of their mouths.

"Yeah. I expect they'll share you, seeing as you're they're soul mate, not each other." Harry says nervously.

"Well, yes. They're identical twins, so I think they only have one soul. I mean, their DNA is probably impossible to differentiate between, so I suppose it makes sense. But two? How can I be with two men?" His comment send my brain into think mode, and I was already coming up with solutions.

"Things are different in the wizarding world. Triads aren't all that uncommon. They aren't taboo. Ask Ginny. There have been a few of them in her family. Twins are especially prone to developing them." Harry informs me, sitting next to me on my bed.

"I'm a virgin, Harry. I have to sleep with them. In a month." I start to panic, and Harry looks awkward.

"Right. How about I go get Ginny?" He suggests, before running out of the room.

His feet thunder down the stairs, and a minute later Ginny comes in. "You should have known better than to try to talk to Harry about that. He's absolutely useless when it comes to girls. Are you really a virgin though?" Ginny pets my hair soothingly, and sits on the bed next to me.

"I've kissed two guys, Gin. Krum, and Ron. And both were awkward, and only happened once."

"Well, I'm sure they'll understand. They're really nice, Hermione. You could've gotten worse. They won't take advantage of you. I think it makes a lot of sense, honestly." Ginny barely finished her sentence before I hit her on the arm.

"Ginny! It does not make sense! They are troublemakers!" I smack her, and a loud unrelated crack follows. The twins appear on either side of me.

"Did someone say troublemakers?" The twins say in unison, identical grins on their faces.

"What are you two doing in here?" My voice is a lot higher than I intend, and I flinch away from them slightly.

"Marrying you." They say in unison. Before I can ask, or try to escape, they've each grabbed a hand. My eyes close against the glaring golden glow. Time slows, and I open my eyes. At each hand, I can see millions of golden fibres running through us like veins. Where our fingers touch, the combine. The frayed edges of our souls latch together, and line up perfectly. We are fused together, with a twin at each hand, and become one. The essence of each runs through the bond we just created, and on my right the ocean is crashing, and fireworks are exploding, and the scent of sea air, mingles with gunpowder, creating a beautiful combination that is purely Fred. On my left, wind sweeps through the forest, building up the slowly growing embers, and whipping the branches around. Sparks leap from tree to tree, turning a spark of intelligence into a raging inferno. The familiar scent of pine is only slightly tainted by smoke, as their essences become a deeper part of me. The scents are burned into my core, and lace themselves into every fibre of my being. My own essence reaches out. A warm vanilla wraps around them, seeping into the chaotic catastrophe of creativity, and taming the recklessness. Calm, and order embed themselves into their being, enhancing the brilliance rather than extinguishing the spark. I become a deeper part of them, and we are one. The boundaries between us cease to exist. Vanilla mingles with their individual essences, and they mingle with me, but the forest and the ocean do not join. Time restarts, and their scents fade from my nostrils, but not from my mind. I can never forget any part of them. Before I can draw a breath, both hands are ripped from mine, and the left wrist burns, like I'm being branded. I open my mouth to scream, but the pain vanishes before I can take a breath. I'm still reorienting myself, even though I haven't moved, when Ginny pops up from behind the bed.

"What the bloody hell was that?" She climbs on my bed, and glares at the twins, who are against opposite walls. "You burst in here with no warning, and grab Hermione. Then get yourselves thrown against the wall. You could've hurt me! What did you think you were doing?"

"Well, the letter said to complete the process we had to touch her after she'd read her letter. She opened it earlier, and Harry ran out with her, so we didn't get a chance to talk to her." George explains.

"We weren't really sure what would happen when we touched, but I wanted to be the first to do it, so we came up here." Fred finishes.

"Why didn't that nonsense happen when I snogged Harry, then?" Ginny questions.

"He hadn't read his letter. He has now though, if you'd like to give it a go."

"Make sure you're behind something soft, Gin. That wall hurt."

"Everyone, shut it. Fred, please go get my letter. I'd like to see both of yours, as well." I jump into action, already mentally shuffling through all the books I've read. One passage in particular comes to mind, and I'm already digging through my books to find it. Fred is back within a second, but I pay him no mind until I find the book I need. I pull out "Matters of the Soul" By Arthur Abbot, and flip open to the table of contents. Fred and George watch silently as I flip to a page in the middle.

"I'm fairly certain our souls have been bound." I murmur, turning to face them with a grimace.

"What's that mean?" Ginny asks, plopping down next to me.

"We basically can't live without each other." I say without humour.

"Gee, 'Mione. I didn't know you felt so strongly about us." George teases, getting up and rubbing his wrist.

"I don't. Let me see your wrists." I order, forcing myself to stay calm. Fred and George hold out their wrists, and I see an identical creamy vanilla heart shaped knot, tattooed like it's tied around their wrist. I have the same knot, tied with two strands; one is navy blue, and the other is a deep forest green. "We've definitely been bonded. Now, the consequences." I say the last part quietly, more to myself than them. I push their wrists away, and start to read the passage. Before I get a sentence in, they're sitting on each side of me, and Fred runs his fingers through my hair, while George lightly rubs my back. "Stop." I mumble, grabbing the book and moving to my bed with Ginny. They don't follow.

"There are few ways a couple can bind the soul, but none of which are certain. The only certainty is that for a couple to be bound, they must first be mates. When soul mates' souls touch, they will instantly bind, and transfer essences. The two souls will become one, and the minds will meld. Instantaneously, every thought the two have had will be shared. Compatible souls, mates to each other, will fill the area with golden light. This light will reverse any enchantment upon either of the pair, and cleanse their spirits during the transfer. Any slight opposition in nature will cause the pair to be pushed apart. The stronger the differences, the stronger the force.

"Afterwards, there are side effects of great consequence. If the pair are separated for any period of time longer than an hour, they will have a headache that becomes increasingly worse the longer they are apart. After about six hours, they become unconscious. Only their touch can wake them. If the amount of time becomes too great, they will fall fatally ill. No unconsummated couple can survive a week apart. Any pains, related or none, will be felt by the other. The amount of time they spend in contact will lengthen the amount they can spend apart. Every hour they spend in contact contributes ten minutes to the length they can go before incurring a headache.

"Physical urges, of a comforting and a sexual nature, will become increasingly insistent, until the relationship is consummated. After the consummation, the length of time for symptoms doubles, and the sexual urges become less insistent. The pair are romantically locked. Any romantic advancements by others will affect them adversely.

"A bonded pair is legally married, and automatically recorded by the Wizengamot' Well, that settles it. That's what's going to happen to every pair enforced by the Ministry. Starting with us." I sigh, and throw the book down on the bed. It bounces, and George catches it before it hits the floor. I don't care. I'm storming out of the room, and down the stairs, before they say anything. "HARRY! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE MINISTRY HAS DONE? THEY ARE BONDING PEOPLE'S SOULS. DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?" I shout through the house, until the entire family, sans Percy, is gathered in the living room.

"No, Hermione. What does that mean?" Harry asks. I'm shaking in anger, but trying to keep it together.

"A soul bond is serious business, Harry. The couple can't live without each other. If they go a week without touching, they die. After six hours, they go unconscious. After an hour, they get a headache. This will happen to every single couple the Ministry has paired. There is no stopping or changing it. Every wizard between sixteen and twenty-nine will become soul bound." Harry looks grave, as I tell him the news. Everyone in the room looks scared. Except one. He glares at me, and the twins as they come up behind me.

"I won't. My soulmate died, in the battle of Hogwarts." Ron's voice is bitter, and he storms out of the house before I can respond.

"How did you find this out?" Charlie asks.

"The idiots each grabbed a wrist of mine, with no warning, to see what would happen." I look up at them with disapproval, stepping forward to hold out my wrist for examination as they each wrap an arm around me. Their arms fall away. Molly and Arthur examine my wrist, and nod slightly.

"That's a soul bond. Boys?" Arthur asks. They step forward, and present their wrists. Fred wraps his arm around my waist, and George's arm wraps around my shoulder. I shrink slightly in their hold, and they squeeze me gently before backing off.

"Ginny, dear. Would you mind if we watched your bond with Harry, just to make sure? How did you know this, Hermione? Did you have a book?" Molly asks. Ginny sighs, but nods, and George holds up book he set on the couch when he walked in.

"Page 578." George volunteers, handing the book to his father.

"Hermione, we need to talk. All three of us." Fred whispers in my ear. They both gently grab my hand and pull me towards the stairs.

"Why don't we talk outside?" I suggest nervously, pulling away and walking towards to garden. They shrug, and follow me.

"Why are you afraid of us, Hermione?"

"We won't hurt you."

"Or force you into anything you aren't ready for."

"This is just as much of a shock to us as it is to you."

"And we'd like to do this in a way that freaks you out the least."

"Like go on dates, if you want."

Their twin speak still throws me a little off balance, but I turn to face them once we're standing in the garden. "I wasn't ready to be married. I wasn't ready to be tied down, and forced to . . . procreate. I don't know how experienced you two are, but I've only had two slightly awkward kisses. And in under a month, I have to . . ." I shudder, and wrap my arms around myself. "With both of you. I've never dated or been with one man. How am I supposed to handle two?" I shouldn't be blaming them; my anger is more directed at the Ministry, but my emotions towards this whole ordeal are confused.

"You've never dated?"

"Blimey, this could be awkward."

"We've never shared, if it makes you feel better."

"We've wanted to-"

"But girls at Hogwarts never fancied the idea."

"And the other twin always felt left out-"

"So most of our dating has been brief."

"But we've wanted to share you since-"

"Your fourth year."

"You were really pretty-"

"And brave-"

"And smart-"

"In your fifth you were such a-"

"Bad ass rule-breaker-"

"Boys, stop. You're slightly overwhelming when you do that. Let me think, please. We can't be apart for more than six hours. That pretty much rules out the possibility of me getting a job anywhere, unless it was only part time. A month from now, it will double. But I'll get a headache after two hours. Do you know how hard it is to focus with a headache? But pretty much everyone will be facing the same dilemma. Companies will have to give everyone a five minute break every two hours, for the sake of productivity. Or have zero full time workers. Nobody would be able to support themselves-"

"Not that you have to."

"Fred!" I raise my eyebrows at him, glaring at him for interrupting.

"Sorry 'Mione."

"I think things should start out slow. Like, you guys were hanging all over me back there, and I feel the pull towards you too, but it kind of freaks me out. So maybe, can I have a hug? But how's that going to work? If you both hug me at the same time, who do I hug back?" I groan in frustration and confusion. Two sets of arms wrap around me, and my arms are guided so I have on around each of their waists.

"Stop over-thinking things, love." George whispers while tenderly tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

"We'll figure this out-" Fred murmurs

"Together." They say in unison.