Two years after the war, George Weasley was still alone. His brother had been killed during the Battle of Hogwarts, and he'd been devastated. But he picked himself up, and continued the business he and his twin had started, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. He'd thrown himself into the work, and had done very nicely. He now owned Zonko's Joke Shop in Hogsmeade, and a few other joke shops across the country. He worked a lot, running the shop in Diagon Alley himself, along with a few employees.

A workaholic doesn't usually have a steady relationship. He'd had a few, over the past few years, but they were mainly for comfort, or in the woman's case; greed. He'd dumped the greedy ones quickly, not wanting to lose a fortune. Yes, he was a billionaire, but he was frugal. Growing up with a poor family encouraged that. He didn't buy what he didn't need. He did indulge every once in a while, however, but not often.

So when the Marriage Law came around, he had no clue as to who he would marry. He decided to wait, thinking he wouldn't get the letter. But, early one May morning, a Ministry owl tapped on his window. He opened the window, and let the owl in. It hooted impatiently as he unfastened the letter. He stared at it in shock, not noticing the owl's departure. He ripped it open, and began to read.

Dear Mr George Fabian Weasley,

As of 3rd May, 2000 there has been a marriage law enacted by the Minister for Magic. The law clearly states that all eligible persons, aged 18-50, are required to marry within a month of this letter. The law has been enacted for the good of our people, and continuing our bloodlines. In recent years, wizard birthrates have been declining, and the rate of Squib births have gone up. We have realized that the Second Wizarding War has depleted the wizarding population in large numbers. We wish to replenish them, so the Wizarding World may continue to grow and flourish.

You must be married within a month of this letter. If not, you may be subjected to Azkaban, or a heavy fine. Then you will be paired with a spouse of the Ministry's choosing. Other terms of the Marriage Law are as follows:

1. You must conceive a child within a year of marriage. If a miscarriage or stillborn birth happens, you are given another year. If another miscarriage happens, you will be reassigned to another partner.

2. You must conceive a second child within three years of marriage. If there is a miscarriage or stillborn birth, the deadline is extended for one year.

4. Divorce is not an option. Magical marriages are binding, and can only be broken in the event that a spouse dies. If the other spouse is still in between the ages of 18-50, they must re-marry. For a second marriage, only one child is required.

5. After your two children are born, more are encouraged, but not necessary.

If these terms are not met, you will be subjected to Azkaban, re-marriage, and heavy fines, at the discretion of the Wizenagmot.

Good day,

Office of Magical Marriages, Births, and Deaths

Peter Young

George sat down heavily in one of the chairs in his kitchen. He'd have to be married in a month, or be thrown in Azkaban. He couldn't believe it. Who the hell would have him? He was missing an ear, though he was still attractive.

His thoughts raced through his brain. He barely made sense of most of them. He immediately began ticking off women he knew. Verity, one of his shop employees? No…she'd just been engaged. Expecting a baby, too, by his reckoning. Katie Bell? No, she'd died in a Quidditch accident a few months ago. Angelina? He smiled happily, then remembered that she was now married to a former Ravenclaw. He sighed, and summoned a bottle of Firewhiskey. He needed the drink as everything was too much for him.

As he drank his small glass of Firewhiskey, (he didn't want to get drunk) he looked around his flat. The flat was located above the shop. He didn't feel the need to live in a mansion, and own a hous elf. It was just him, so why bother? If he got married, he'd expect he'd have to move out, and into a "real" house, especially if he was required to have children.

George knocked back the last drink of his Firewhiskey, when a thought hit him. He knew exactly whom he could marry. Hermione Granger, of course. She'd broken up with Ron around six months after the war ended, mainly because of his immaturity (as far as anyone knew). As far as George knew, she didn't have a boyfriend, or a husband. Ron had gotten married a few months ago to Luna Lovegood (now Weasley), and was expecting a baby with her.

George decided to take a chance, and write her a letter. She'd be affected by the Marriage Law, too. The worst thing she could say was "no", but he knew she probably wouldn't. She had high dreams for herself, and George wouldn't be the one to hold her back. He summoned a quill and a piece of parchment. He began writing his letter.

Dear Hermione,

I know you've heard of the Marriage Law. I heard you protesting about it over dinner a few nights ago, at the Burrow. But now, I've being affected by it, and soon, if not already, you will be affected by it. I want to ask you to be my wife. (Not the most romantic way of proposing, but I can do it again later, if you let me.) I won't hold you back from your dreams of becoming an advocate for House Elves and other beings. I just really need the help. Yes, we'll be married for the rest of our lives, but it shouldn't be too bad. We can sort something out.

Now, if you could please reply to this letter as soon as you can, I'd appreciate it. If you want, we can talk about this over dinner sometime, perhaps? Just tell me when and where.

George

George folded the letter up, and called for his owl, Forge. He sent it off to Hermione's, watching the owl fly until he couldn't see it anymore. His emotions were mixed. Essentially, his life was in her hands.

Hermione Jean Granger was well on her way into a successful career. After completing her N.E.W.T.S. (obtaining all O's) in early 1999, she'd immediately been offered a job with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. She was currently working to obtain better rights for house elves and other "non-humans." It wasn't going very well, since house elves could be very stubborn and determined.

When the Marriage Law had been passed, she'd been furious. Yes, the Wizarding World did need a population boom, but they didn't have to pass a bloody law to do it! There'd been an article in the Prophet a few weeks prior to the Law, stating that birthrates were up. So why the Law passed, she couldn't understand.

But now, here she was, holding her Ministry letter in her hands, attempting not to cry. Her career was going so well, and this had to come and ruin it. She'd have to find a husband, and soon. If she couldn't, many things could happen. The thing she wanted the least was to be married to someone who would just make her pop out child after child, not even caring about her career. She loved her job, and wanted to continue it.

She sighed, and flopped onto her bed in a very un-ladylike manner. She didn't know whom she could possibly marry. Ron was out, since he was already married, but he'd been out for years. She never would have been able to marry him, since he'd wanted so many children, and she didn't. She wanted maybe one or two, and that was it, not a whole Quidditch team. That was one of the main reasons for their breakup.

An owl tapped on her window. She rolled over to face her window, wondering who could possibly want to contact her on a Sunday morning. She didn't work Sundays, so it couldn't be from her work. She suddenly recognized it as George Weasley's owl, Forge. She got up off the bed, and opened the window to let Forge in. It sat on her desk and held its leg out. She unfastened the letter, and began to read. It waited for her, so she knew she was expected to reply. The letter read:

Dear Hermione,

I know you've heard of the Marriage Law. I heard you protesting about it over dinner a few nights ago, at the Burrow. But now, I've being affected by it, and soon, if not already, you will be affected by it. I want to ask you to be my wife. (Not the most romantic way of proposing, but I can do it again later, if you let me.) I won't hold you back from your dreams of becoming an advocate for House Elves and other beings. I just really need the help. Yes, we'll be married for the rest of our lives, but it shouldn't be too bad. We can sort something out.

Now, if you could please reply to this letter as soon as you can, I'd appreciate it. If you want, we can talk about this over dinner sometime, perhaps? Just tell me when and where.

George

Hermione stumbled over to her bed, and sat down. George wanted to marry her? She smiled at his joke about the proposal. He'd rarely joked since Fred's death. She knew he missed Fred a lot. The owl hooted, and she stared at it in shock for a moment. Then she started scrambling for a pen and some parchment. She had to reply to his letter. She went to her desk, and began writing.

Dear George,

Yes, I've been affected. I got my letter this morning. It makes me furious, this law. But I won't discuss that now. I will marry you, since I've got no other options, it seems. Harry's engaged already to Ginny, and Ron's married to Luna. Not that they were options in the first place, of course. I'm so happy you won't hold me back in my career. I was afraid I'd end up with somebody that would.

For dinner…how about the Leaky Cauldron at six tonight? No need to reply to this, since we can discuss it over dinner. We've got a lot to discuss, too, I guess. But thank you so much, George. I'll be forever grateful.

Love,

Hermione

She finished writing her letter, and folded it up. She attached it to the owl; it hooted and flew away. She turned away from her window and went to her closet. It was still early, but she had to decide what to wear to dinner with George.

George waited anxiously for her reply. When he spotted Forge flying towards his flat, his heart stopped. She'd replied promptly, for which he was grateful. He didn't know if he could have stood waiting for hours upon hours.

He read her reply quickly, and then started petting Forge. He whispered to Forge, "Thanks so much, buddy. I've now got a date with Hermione. Well, not exactly a date."

George fed Forge, then decided to go back to sleep. He was tired, plus the whiskey he'd drank also tired him. He knew it had been too early to drink, but he didn't care. They had potions for hangovers.

He fell asleep, thinking about his meeting with Hermione. He'd be seeing her in eight hours. He slept soundly for a while, his dreams full of Hermione and red-haired children running around.

AN: I'll try to update this as often as I can. I've also got this up on , too. Could I maybe get 2 review for this, please? Thanks!