A/N: Marriage law fic. Fred still alive, obviously, but everything else is mostly canon.

The war had been over for only a month before everyone's lives were twisted upside down.

Hogwarts was halfway through being repaired; if they kept going at this rate, the school would be ready to reopen in September. The Weasley's, Harry, and Hermione had been splitting their time between repairing Hogwarts and Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, which had been almost completely destroyed.

Harry had offered to fund their reopening, but the twins had adamantly denied his offer, saying that they had been saving their profits from the shop in case of such an event. Hermione was impressed with their planning.

"It's war time," George had said.
"We'd be stupid not to plan for the worst," Fred had finished.

Alas, it was the first of July when the news hit the papers. It was yet another blow to the already destroyed families.

Hermione and Harry were residing at the Burrow, since Hermione hadn't had the time to find her parents, and Harry didn't know where the Dursley's were (not that he'd ever go back). Three volumes of the Daily Prophet flew through the window at breakfast, one each for Hermione, Percy, and Mr and Mrs Weasley. Hermione was the first to see the announcement.

"Mr Weasley," Hermione said in a numb voice. "Please tell me you didn't know about this."

Confused eyes trained upon Hermione rather than their food as they waited for an explanation. Mr Weasley shook his head.

"I had no idea," he said softly. "Must have been a massive secret."
"What is going on?" Ginny demanded, moving closer to Harry's side. He wrapped an arm around her waist.
"Marriage decree," Hermione whispered.

Her worried eyes locked with Harry, who looked equally terrified, and then at Ron, who looked a bit angry but mostly confused.

"Marriage laws haven't been around since… since ever," Ron said argumentatively. "It's not right. The ministry can't do this!"
"Yes they can, Ron," Mrs Weasley said gently. Her hand gripped Mr Weasley's tightly. "Under one of their decrees, should the Minister find the wizarding world in great peril, they can take whatever means necessary to replenish and repair our world. It's not a widely known fact."

"Of course, betrothal is a form of marriage law and has been around for centuries, but this particular type hasn't been seen since the dark ages," Mr Weasley said thoughtfully. "It's not like we're going extinct, though. I wonder what they're playing at."

"Read the article, Percy," George said suddenly. Hermione had quite forgotten the twins were in the room, they had been so silent. Hermione's eyes followed the article along with Percy's voice.

"Under the Ministry Decree Number 13, it has been declared that, should the Ministry of Magic find itself under threat or in great peril, the current members of the Ministry of Magic can undertake any means necessary to eliminate the problem. Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt has firmly denied any involvement in the latest development of what has been donned 'The Marriage Decree'.

'The Marriage Decree' states that any witch or wizard currently residing in the sovereign land of England must abide by the follow laws:

1. Any witches or wizards between the ages of 17 – 35 must wed a person of the opposite sex as determined by the Ministry of Magic.

2. Witches and wizards paired may not be from the same immediate family.

3. The marriage must become official within a year of the knowledge of their designated partner.

4. The married couple must have at least one child within three years of their marriage.

Kingsley Shacklebolt refused to comment, but did express his disgust at the passing of this law, saying that it was 'barbaric' and 'rubbish'. The Ministry will be releasing the pairings tomorrow via post."

Percy placed his paper on the table with a solemn finality.

"We're doomed," Ron said gloomily. Hermione and Harry nodded their heads.
"How could this happen?" Ginny cried, leaning into Harry's shoulder. He rubbed her back helplessly. Fred and George were looking at each other, almost appearing to be having a silent conversation, when Hermione realised she had been asked a question.

"Sorry, what?" she said quickly, turning red. Mrs Weasley smiled gently.
"I asked you if you would like more breakfast, dear," she said, gesturing to Hermione's full plate. "You've barely eaten anything at all."
Hermione shook her head and pushed her plate away. "I think I've rather lost my appetite," she said. The others at the table murmured their agreement, each standing almost at the exact same time and leaving the kitchen dejectedly.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny all headed out to the garden, a strange silence enveloping them. They were each stuck in their own thoughts, a shock settling into their bones as they struggled to grasp what was going on.

"How could they do this?" Ron asked as the four sat overlooking the field they used as a quidditch pitch. Hermione merely shrugged since, for the first time in her life, she didn't have an answer. Harry, on the other hand, was fuming.
"You know, we just win the biggest battle of our lives, and succeed in getting rid of the evillest man in the universe, and what do we get for it? We don't get the rest of our lives to celebrate, oh no. We get forced together like animals at a zoo," Harry ranted, ripping up grass roughly with his hands. Ginny placed her hand upon his, calming it almost immediately.
"They won't split us up," she promised. Harry looked deep into her eyes and gave a stiff nod.
"Yeah, there's no way they'd piss off the Chosen One like that," Ron joked weakly. Harry almost smiled, but when he turned to Hermione, she had no comforting words to offer.
"What do you think, Hermione?" Harry asked. Hermione shrugged, taking a deep breath.
"I think it's best we wait until tomorrow to see who we're paired with before we start getting angry," she said rationally. Ron and Harry rolled their eyes, but Ginny agreed with her.
"Exactly. There's no point in getting angry over something that hasn't occurred yet."

Hermione sent her a thankful smile, then jumped in the air and had her wand in her hand before she registered that the loud crack! she had heard was simply the twins apparating in front of them. They eyed her warily.

"Easy, 'Mione," Fred said, holding his hands up in the air to show they were empty. George did the same, waving them about.
"We come in peace!" George cried, falling to his knees dramatically. Hermione blushed and put her wand away with dignity.
"Don't sneak up on a war hero," Hermione said simply.
Fred and George rolled their eyes in synchronisation. "We just thought you'd like to know that Kingsley has turned up in a rage about the law," George said casually. Ron stood up immediately.
"Haven't got some Extendable Ears, have you?" he asked happily.
"Not this time, little bro," Fred replied. "We're actually allowed to listen in this time."
"He wants to speak to us?" Harry asked, standing up too, pulling Ginny with him. Hermione followed suit.
"Not sure," George said mysteriously. "See you at the kitchen."

With a crack, they were gone. A feeling of foreboding set over Hermione.

"I don't think this is going to be as good as we hope," she said reluctantly.

A/N: Review and tell me what you think!