Chapter One
The first rays of the summer sun shone through the windows of the Great Hall, as the small procession of people filed through its doors. Murmurs and laughter floated around the room, but there was an feeling of uncertainty lingering through the air. The crowd began sat down in the chairs that had been magically conjured for the event. Professor McGonagall tapped her wand on the podium about to begin, but suddenly the doors of the hall burst open, with two men running inside to their respectful seats. Hermione peered over her shoulder, and tsked upsetly.
"Ron!" She whispered, raising her hand high so that he could spot her.
"Harry!" The red haired girl next to her called to the raven-haired boy sprinting down the aisle with the red-haired one. They made their way to their seats, and Ron pecked Hermione's cheek lovingly.
"Hullo, 'mione." He murmured, wrapping his arm around her in a tight embrace. She squeezed back, but also looked at him disapprovingly.
"The one day I tell you not to be late, and what do you do? Get yourself in trouble." Hermione complained. Ron kissed her gently, and shrugged his shoulders.
"It's only graduation, Hermione. It's not the end of the world." Harry said, leaning over Ginny. Hermione frowned, and straightened her primrose robes and her newly slicked hair. Ginny grinned affectionately.
"I told you the purple would look best on you." She cooed, straightening her own emerald robes. Harry smiled nostalgically, and sighed.
"We're about to leave this place… forever," He said. "Eight years after we started." Hermione sighed as well.
"I'm just glad Professor McGonagall allowed us to repeat seventh year with the rest of our year. Imagine the job opportunities that we would have been offered if we didn't finish our school!" She whispered, mortified.
"Oh shove it, Hermione. You already have a job at the Ministry, why else would you care?" Ron asked. She shrugged in response, then turned to the front where Professor McGonagall was giving her speech.
"... this year, the Ministry would like to implement an experimental law that will help decrease the amount of social injustice that has been created and acted upon over the last 50 years. This law will place two people who have been strategically and personally placed together in a relationship, one of which the law requires matrimony to be instituted within 10 months. This law is only experimental, though the Ministry does expect applicable results. We will begin the sorting in a moment." Hermione glanced over at Ron, her expression horrified.
"They might not put us together." She whispered, her arms wrapped around his neck, and her face buried in his robes. He stroked her hair lovingly.
"It'll be alright. McGonagall knows us, she knows that we were meant to go together. I promise that we'll stay together, no matter what." He cooed. Harry glanced over at his best friend, his face totally alarmed. Both men were scared of losing the ones they loved most. Ginny traced Harry's face with her hand.
"I love you, no matter what happens." Both women whispered to their boyfriends.
"May I please have Mr. Longbottom come up to the stage?" Professor McGonagall called. Neville rose out of his seat, and ambled down the aisle to the stage. He sat in the chair next to McGonagall, and gulped loudly. McGonagall brought out a tattered piece of brown fabric; the Sorting Hat.
"We're getting our soul mates chosen by the hat?" Ron whispered, in shock. Hermione nodded, then watched as McGonagall placed the hat on Neville's head. It sat there contemplatively for a moment, then screamed out, "Luna Lovegood!" Neville sighed in relief, and jumped off the stage to go join Luna. The audience clapped loudly, hopefully they would all get their boyfriends or girlfriends.
"Next may I have Ms. Parvati Patil?" Professor McGonagall asked. Parvati bounced onto the stage, then sat down on the stool. The hat barely touched her head when it screamed, "Dean Thomas!" Parvati squealed with delight and ran down to sit next to him.
"Can I have Ms. Weasley, please?" Ginny squeezed Harry's hand, and slowly walked up the aisle. Professor McGonagall placed the hat gently on Ginny's fiery hair, and it sat there for a moment. Finally, it opened its brim, and shouted, "Harry Potter!" She sighed in relief, and ran into Harry's waiting arms. Hermione looked over at Ron, who now seemed really nervous.
"What if someone else gets you?" Ron whispered mortified. Hermione sharply inhaled.
"Don't say that. We both know we're meant to be." She said, looking down at the floor.
"May I have Ms. Pansy Parkinson?" Professor McGonagall asked. The Slytherin girl walked up the aisle proudly, and placed the hat on her jet black bob.
"Blaise Zabini!" The hat yelled. Pansy slumped in her seat, her confidence quenched.
"Guess she didn't end up with that loser Malfoy after all." Ron murmured.
"Look, she had grey robes made to match his dead eyes." Ginny added smirking.
"Shh, McGonagall's gonna call up the next person." Hermione said.
"Next, may I have Miss Hermione Granger?" Professor McGonagall asked. Hermione stood up, her knees knocking.
"Hey, 'Mione, everything's gonna be okay. I love you." Ron said, grabbing her hand. Hermione smiled weakly.
"Of course, I know everything's going to be okay." She said. She walked up the aisle, and sat down on the stool.
"Well, here it goes, Ms. Granger." Professor McGonagall said, smiling and placing the hat on her head.
"Hmm, aren't you an interesting person. This will be very hard." The hat said into Hermione's ear.
"Well, I love Ron so it should be easy." Hermione replied.
"Love isn't always easy. Hmm, who to pick, who to be with."
"Ron and I haven't had an easy relationship. It took him seven years to admit he liked me." She said.
"Well, I think I know my answer." The hat said. "Draco Malfoy!"
Hermione felt the blood drain from her face. Shocked faces peppered the crowd. Hermione's hands trembled as she took the hat off and placed it on the stool.
"Oh dear, well, go sit with Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley." Professor McGonagall said, looking sympathetic. Hermione walked back slowly to her seat, and then sat down, not making eye contact with Ron.
The list of names continued on and on until the ceremony was over.
"Now, we ask all of our guests to move into the Main Hall and the students to remain here." Professor McGonagall said. Once the guests had filed out, she spoke again.
"Now, I need all of you to move and sit with your future spouse." Hermione stood up, still not making eye contact with Ron. As she walked past Ginny, the redhead grabbed her friend's hand and squeezed lightly. Hermione looked down, and smiled weakly. She then looked up to find her so-called soulmate.
"Over here, Granger." A drawling voice said behind her. She whipped around to see Draco.
"There you are, we have to go and sit." She said impatiently.
"Now now, I don't like your tone. It's much too cross for someone I'm going to have to spend the rest of my life with." Draco retorted. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Don't think that I'm over the moon about this, hopefully it's only temporary." She said, grabbing his arm and pulling him over to two vacant seats.
"Whoa, slow down Granger. I hope you're not that eager." Draco said slyly. Hermione slapped his arm.
"Can't you be tolerable for one single moment?" She asked, sitting down.
"I'm not already being tolerable? Oh Granger we're going to have a lot of fun." Draco said.
"Oh, do shut up," Hermione sighed exasperatedly. "McGonagall's about to start talking again." And as she said that the headmistress stood up to speak again.
"Now that you have your pairs sorted through, I need to read off the requirements set up by the Ministry. I recommend that you listen very carefully," Professor McGonagall started. "Let's begin,"
"In accordance with the newly formed Committee of Magical Population Sustainability and Blood Unification, also known as C.O.M.P.S.B.U, the Ministry of Magic is now implementing an experimental law aimed at decreasing the high levels of social injustices that muggleborns and half bloods have been receiving over the past fifty years. The law, coherently titled "The Magical Blood Unification Proclamation" has placed all graduating witches and wizards with their soulmate by means of magic and destiny using an object that is worthy of such a momentous task. When the pairs are made, the goal is to have a pureblood matched with someone of lesser blood status, therefore depleting higher-status bloodlines. The law states that each pair must be wed by exactly 10 months after the Soulmate Ceremony has taken place, and that repopulation of the wizarding community will happen within 2 years of the ceremony. Although the law is only experimental at the moment, the Ministry does expect accurate and ample results. As a result, the Ministry encourages each and every one of the young men and women to accept this law and to embrace its words. The Ministry will have regularly scheduled appointments to check up on the 300 couples to see the law's progress. The Ministry of Magic would like to formally extend an act of thanks to the young men and women who are partaking in this experiment, as in the end, it will be for the better of magical kind."
McGonagall looked up from the speech, and saw many cloudy expressions.
"I would just like to say that I am proud of each and every one of you. I have known you since you were in first year, and now that you are embarking into the world with the best partner at your side, I have no trouble in seeing any of you reaching less than what you dream for. Just remember, Hogwarts is always here to welcome you home, if you ever may need it." She paused to wipe a small stream of tears off her face. "That will be all. You may join your families in the Main Hall."
The students all stood up shakily, and some walked hand in hand with their partner. Hermione stood up quickly, and looked for Ginny. For one of the first times in her life, she had no idea what she was going to do next.
Hi there!
If you've never read one of my stories before, I'm Liz. This is a story I've been brainstorming since I started reading fanfiction, but just started to write. Please let me know if you have any ideas (I love to implement things that y'all think of) and review! Thanks for checking me out, stay tuned for more!
xx Liz