This fic was written in 2008 as a response to a Death Eater challenge on Granger Enchanted. It was beta'd by Lupinswolfie.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I HAVE TO GET MARRIED? I THOUGHT THEY WANTED MUGGLE-BORNS DEAD, NOT MARRIED TO THEM!" Hermione raged to anyone and everyone who was listening.

"Hermione," Mr. Weasley interjected soothingly, gently laying his hand on her shoulder in a show of support, "I'm very sorry, but we couldn't get hold of you to warn you about it; but the law passed, and there's nothing we can do now. Any Muggle-born who isn't petitioned for will be subjected to the Muggle-born Registration Act, which has the possibility of being a worse fate. Those Muggle-borns who become married in accordance with this law, will still have to be registered as such, but since they will have the standing of their pureblood spouses, will not have to suffer the penalties."

"Penalties? For being born?" Hermione screeched before her face fell to a stark white at the thought of being penalized just for being conceived in the first place. She could only imagine what those penalties might be. After taking a deep breath, she looked up at Mr. Weasley's care-worn face. "How is it decided who I marry?" she asked calmly, her more rational side taking over when she felt Ron's arm around her tightening; this was all news to him as well.

"First, any pureblood wizard who wants consideration must petition for you. After the two week period where the Ministry accepts petitions, they then go through them and narrow them down to two, based on a list of specifications that they have to match a Muggle-born to the proper pureblood. They then give the you the option between those two purebloods, assuming more than one person petitioned for you, and you choose which you would prefer to marry. If you don't get back to the Ministry in four days, then the Ministry chooses for you, often by who is willing to give more money."

"So, you're saying that I can be bought?" she asked, her voice becoming more disbelieving with every word. "Please tell me my options are better than what I think they are," she said, trying not to out and out plead with her boyfriend's father.

"I'm sorry, Hermione," he said, his eyes misting over, "but since you weren't here to choose, the Ministry has chosen your husband for you."

Before Hermione could ask anything more, a knock sounded on the front door, and everyone in the room stilled. They weren't expecting visitors. Mrs. Weasley quickly made her way to the door, wiping the tears from her face with her flowered apron.

Rabastan Lestrange strolled into the house without waiting to be asked, the Minister of Magic following in his wake. "I've come to gather my fiancée. We have a pressing appointment at the Ministry," he said, a disgusted sneer on his face as he looked around the Burrow and its occupants.

Hermione recognised him from the photo the Prophet had printed when he had escaped from Azkaban two years previous. Being out of prison certainly seemed to agree with him; he had filled out so he looked healthy, rather than drawn, his shiny dark hair bound with a leather thong and falling halfway down his back. Minister Thicknesse had pardoned each of those who had escaped, citing an old law that hadn't been used in centuries, but had never been struck from the books, having to do with failure to keep the prisoners inside the magical prison.

Ron was immediately on his feet, raring for a fight while shielding Hermione behind him. "NO!" he screamed. "That... that Death Eater can't have her! He'll probably just kill her!"

"I'm not looking for a fight here," Rastaban interrupted, his smile belying his words. "Which is why I brought with me Minister Thicknesse, and the three Aurors who are just outside."

"Ron," Arthur warned, his hand now gripping his son's shoulder, though not so much out of comfort as to keep him from charging the wizard in front of him.

"Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley," the Minister acknowledged, "as Mr. Lestrange has stated, we are here to bring Miss Granger with us to the Ministry. We do hope this will go as smoothly as possible, but we have brought Aurors with us to ensure that it does."

Hermione slipped around Ron so that she was between him and Rabastan, her arms folded over her chest. "Just why, exactly, do you need me to go with you to the Ministry?" she asked, the pretentiousness in her voice overshadowing the fear.

"Why, to get married, of course. Surely you are aware of your upcoming nuptials; the owls were sent out weeks ago," Minister Thicknesse said, slightly shocked.

"No. Actually, I've been away for the past few months, though I think you knew that already, since you seemed to know that I was here within an hour of my arrival."

"Yes, well, that aside, it is not our fault that you did not receive the owls we sent. As such, if you do not come with us, you will be in direct violation of an official order, and will be arrested and charged as such."

"And if I choose to come with you but not to marry Mr. Lestrange?" she asked, the knot in the pit of her stomach turning cold and heavy as dread overtook her.

"Then you will be charged with treason and sent to Azkaban, where you will be Kissed." Every person in the room looked horrified at the thought. Every person, that is, except for the man she was being forced to marry.

"Treason?" she squeaked. "How would not marrying him be considered treason?"

"All marriages resulting from the Marriage Act are signed off and officiated by me. Since I am the Minister of Magic, any direct refusal of my orders is considered treason and is treated as such," the Minister explained, sounding as though he were speaking of the weather, and not the fate of people's lives.

"Can I have some time to think it over?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"Five minutes. The Floo has been disconnected, and the wards changed so as to not allow Apparation until after we leave. The Aurors will be stationed around the house, so do yourself a favour and don't try and use this time to escape. We will be just outside."

Hermione nodded, looking as though someone had just told her that the world's libraries had simultaneously burned to the ground, and the two men turned and left, Rabastan's black eyes hungrily raking her over first. When they were gone, she turned to her Wizarding family and fell into a heap on the floor, not able to hold the tears in any longer.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione," Mrs. Weasley sobbed. "The boys all put their names in, but we don't have the funds to buy off the Minister."

"I know, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said consolingly, "I'm sure even if you did, they would have found a reason to turn them all down."

Ron's arms wrapped around her, his tears falling into her hair as he whispered in her ear. "You can't leave, Hermione," he said, his voice pained. "What will I do without you? What will Harry do without you? You can't go with him, you're supposed to marry me. I was going to save up the money to buy you a ring, and then ask you on our anniversary. I was going to bring you to that little spot in the woods where we had our first kiss. It was going to be perfect. You were going to say 'yes,' and then we were going to live happily ever after."

"Oh, Ron," she cried, her sobs making it hard for her to breathe as she clung to him. "I want that. I don't want to marry him," she said through her hiccups. "But I don't want to be Kissed, either."

"No one wants that, Hermione," Mr. Weasley said, rubbing his son's back. He had known that she was going to be forced to marry Lestrange, but he hadn't known it would happen so soon. He was hoping they would have time to make other arrangements for her; put her into hiding. If he had known that it would happen so quickly, he would have been sure to have the whole family over, not just Hermione and Ron. Harry wasn't even there, instead he was with Remus and Tonks, spending some time with his godson.

When Rabastan and Minister Thicknesse came back inside, it was to find Hermione and Ron kneeling on the floor in a bittersweet embrace, their tears mixing as their lips melded together.

"It is always hard for those of the lower class," Rabastan remarked as he looked at the scene in obvious disdain, "to see those they think as theirs quickly become someone else's. It must become rather daunting when it happens time and time again."

"Please, Ron," she whispered to him, her forehead caressing his, "just find and destroy the rest of the Horcruxes. Help Harry as much as you can; Voldemort must be destroyed. Don't do anything to encourage trouble; winning this war is more important." She gently kissed his lips once more before she stood up and walked over so she was standing in front of the Minister. "Have you made your decision?" he asked.

"Yes, I have," she responded, her voice hollow, as though all of her feelings had been sapped out of her. "I will come to the Ministry. I haven't decided yet if I will marry him, though."

"Good, good," the Minister said jauntily. "You are allowed one person to come and stand with you at the ceremony. I would strongly advise against the boy you were just kissing."

"Mr. Weasley?" she asked, never turning around.

"Of course, Hermione. I'll be here whenever you need, for whatever you need," her second father said, knowing that it was probably the last time he would see her.

"Thank you."

Hermione walked through the Ministry like a zombie, her body going through the motions, but completely devoid of her mind. She wished that they had ignored the owl that had found them. But the letter had said that it was of the most vital importance she come home, and it had taken a full month for the owl to find them, so they had decided to go home for a day or two and find out what had happened. Now that she knew, she wanted to go back; back to the tents, back to the running and hiding. It didn't really matter where, so long as it was away from the personal hell her life had just become.

Minister Thicknesse led the way, followed by Rabastan, whose hand was ensconced around hers, leading her to their destination. Behind them was Mr. Weasley, as well as the Aurors who had been to the Burrow. Each looked rather upset that they hadn't had to break up a scuffle or arrest anyone.

They entered a small office that could only be described as comfy. "Have you made your decision, Miss Granger?" the Minister asked, turning to Hermione and ignoring the lone person who had been in the room before them.

"I-"

Before she could answer, Rabastan interrupted. "Let me have a few minutes with her before she tells us her decision. After all, the idea of marrying someone you haven't even met must be rather daunting."

The Minister nodded his head, turning to leave the room. He was joined in the corridor by Mr. Weasley and the Aurors, as well as Rudolphus Lestrange, who was acting as witness on behalf of his brother.

As soon as the door closed, Rabastan took her free hand in his, and sat on the edge of the large desk while he pulled her closer to him, though not close enough for their bodies to touch. "What can I do to convince you to choose me over the Dementor's Kiss?" he asked imploringly.

She was suspicious of his motivation for being so nice to her, but if there was a suitable alternative to the Kiss, she would see what he would agree to. "I don't want to be killed. I don't want to be tortured. I don't want to be put on display for your master and his cronies. I want to be allowed to talk to my friends. I want you to pretend this never happened and let me go back to the Burrow with Mr. Weasley. I want this to all be a bad dream," she responded, so quietly that he had to strain to hear, her eyes never wavering from where they were focused unseeingly at their joined hands.

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do about most of those. I promise, though, that if you marry me, I will treat you accordingly. I will never cause you harm, unless you want me to, or I am forced to. I won't let anyone else, save the Dark Lord or those he deems fit, hurt you should he think it necessary. I will not kill you. You will be comfortable and well-fed. You will have access to my family's private library; I have heard that it may be of interest to you. I'm sorry that I cannot offer more."

"My friends?" she asked, sniffling as she finally looked up at him through wet lashes.

"I cannot promise you anything on that account, but if you ever are allowed to write them, understand that the entirety of your correspondence will be read through."

"Will you take the Unbreakable Vow that you won't hurt me?"

"So long as it includes the stipulations I have already mentioned, though I may reword it to be more specific," he answered after hesitating briefly.

"Then, I will marry you," she said, her tone worn out, her head down and shoulders slumped forward.

"You've made the right choice," he told her as he stood up to let the others back in the room.

"I want you to make the Vow before we get married," she said, just loud enough to travel across the room to where he had his hand on the doorknob. He paused for a moment and looked back at her. She had gathered her strength and was standing up straight, her head held high. If she was going to have to do this, she was going to keep her dignity with her.

He gave no sign of agreeing with her, but when he came back into the room, he had only his brother and Mr. Weasley with him. "Miss Granger-"

"Hermione." At his confused look, she rolled her eyes and explained. "If we're going to be married, you may want to call me by my first name."

"Hermione... has agreed to marry me, but first, I have agreed to make an Unbreakable Vow with her," Rabastan said calmly as he wrote the conditions of the Vow on a sheet of parchment. Arthur physically jumped in his shock that the Death Eater would willingly take any Vow with Hermione. His master must believe that she held some sort of key in defeating Harry. The Order had thought as much, assuming that acquiring Hermione had been their main purpose in the creation of the law.

Rodolphus's eyes widened so slightly that if one didn't know what to look for, they wouldn't have noticed. He took his brother by the arm and pulled him aside. "Are you mad? Why would you agree to the Vow with her?" he asked harshly. "You know what is planned for her!"

"You worry yourself for no reason, brother. I am vowing nothing that I hadn't already intended following through with. This Vow will make no difference in Our Lord's plans, and it is the only way she will choose to marry me. Believe me when I say that she came into this room intending to receive the Dementor's Kiss."

Rodolphus shook his head, but let his brother go before they rejoined Hermione and Mr. Weasley, who had his arm around her shoulder and was rubbing her back soothingly, speaking under his breath. What they couldn't see was that in his other hand was his wand, and the words he was saying were spells that he was casting on her rather than words of comfort.

Rastaban took the parchment off the table and handed it to Hermione. "This wording is the only way I can agree to the Vow," he informed Hermione, who quickly skimmed over the parchment, her face draining of all colour and the parchment shaking in her hands as she read the last condition.

Mr. Weasley looked on, worried over her reaction. He was about to jump in the middle of the two when she folded the parchment over so he couldn't see it. "I will agree to this wording," she said, meeting Rabastan's eyes. "I hold no illusions that this will be an enjoyable marriage for me, but it is somewhat comforting to know that any torture which befalls me will not be by my husband's hand on his own merit."

"Mr. Weasley," Rabastan said, his voice strained at having to force himself to be polite to such a known enemy, not wanting his bride to change her mind last minute over how he spoke to her witness. "Would you be so kind as to be our Bonder? Unless I am mistaken, Hermione would feel better with it being someone she knows and trusts."

She looked over at him, tempted to thank him. She decided against it, sure that once they left the Ministry she would hate herself for even thinking the words.

"Of course," Mr. Weasley answered. Hermione had said that it would give her comfort, so he assumed that it had to do with her safety and was glad that she had thought of asking him to take a Vow rather than just take his word.

Hermione and Rabastan knelt so they were looking at one another and grasped right hands. Hermione had only ever read of the Vow, as it was usually only used on large matters, most wizards wanting nothing to do with the prospect of dying over a small agreement they had made and gone back on, whether intentionally or not.

Mr. Weasley stepped over so that he was standing over them, and placed the tip of his wand on their joined hands. Hermione took a deep breath and started reading from the parchment, which she had placed at her knees. "Will you, Rabastan, promise to not intentionally harm me, Hermione, physically or mentally, throughout the course of our marriage, unless directly ordered to do so by the Dark Lord," she read, the name feeling like acid on her tongue, "or during the various acts of sexual intercourse?"

This time after reading the last line, instead of turning white from the shock that he intended to bed her, her face went crimson, embarrassed at having to read it aloud in front of her only lover's father. While the promise was short, it encompassed what she had requested of him, and she didn't want to try and add anything else in. If she did, he would probably say no anyway, and his temper would be roused. She didn't know how bad his temper was, and she did not want to find out.

"I will," said Rabastan, before a thin flame burst out of Mr. Weasley's wand, winding its way around their hands, twisting around itself like a metal rope, still red from the bellows.

"So mote it be," Hermione said, indicating that there was no more to the Vow.

"So mote it be," repeated Rabastan and Mr. Weasley. The rope changed in color from its red to a bright yellow and into a blinding white, only to dissipate into the air, leaving no mark of its existence.

Hermione and Rabastan stood back up while Rodolphus opened the door to the corridor, allowing the Minister and the Aurors back into the room.

Everyone settled into their places: Minister Thicknesse in the middle of the room, Mr. Weasley and Rodolphus each to one side of him, Mr. Weasley's face grim as he watched the proceedings, wishing there were any way to stop it and take her as far away from these evil men as possible. Hermione and Rabastan were in front of the Minister, once again clasping hands, right with right and left with left, creating an eternity symbol with their bodies.

"Repeat after me," the Minister said to Rabastan before reciting vows for a basic arranged marriage. "Hermione, I take you to be my lawfully wedded wife. Before these witnesses I take you, with all your faults and strengths, as I offer myself to you with all my faults and strengths. I will help you when you need help, and turn to you when I need help. I choose you as the person with whom I will spend my life."

Once they both had repeated their vows, he smiled at the couple. "I declare you bonded for life." A white light spread out from the Minister's wand, encompassing the two of them and surrounding them in its warmth before slowly fading away. All that was left was for everyone to sign the marriage certificate, and within five minutes, Hermione was hugging Mr. Weasley good-bye, both hoping to be able to see the other again.

"Now, Wife, it is time to go home."

end note-

traditional-wedding-vows/civil-ceremony-wedding-vows