"No! No, no, NO!" he yelled as he entered the flat, his voice reverberating around the large room.
"No, what mate?" Ron asked lazily as he lounged on our living room sofa. He chooses to actually acknowledge the idiot while I did what I usually do, completely ignore the pompous git.
"They've passed it. They've actually gone and passed it!" he said angrily as he slammed down the Daily Prophet on the coffee table.
Everyone in the room tensed, knowing exactly what 'it' was.
"Impossible, when was the hearing? Why weren't we informed?" Harry exclaimed angrily. He stood up form his seat beside Ginny and snatched the paper from the table.
"Last night, according to the paper. They said that this important of an issue needed to be decided by the most credible officials in the ministry. What utter bollocks is that? The guys who voted were all old, unhappily married farts who want to make everyone else miserable too?" Draco said angrily.
"Married people aren't always miserable, Draco", Ron said as he hugged Pansy to him.
"You have to say that, your wife is right there. But I know for a fact that Pansy is a right pain in the …"
"They've totally changed the concept, too. I know were in a recession because of the war, but this is just extreme." Ginny exclaimed as she read over Harry's shoulder.
"What is it?" Ron asked.
"They're auctioning off witches. Auctioning, like a slave auction! This has got to be stopped!", Ginny fumed.
I sat idly by taking it all in.
I would have to be sold off. My husband would think he can control me just because he had thrown out a few sickles for me and my freedom would officially be over. The injustice of the oppression the Ministry was forcing on women hit me full force. I could feel the blood pooling into my cheeks, and it sure as hell wasn't out of embarrassment. I could tell the others were waiting for me to blow up.
They didn't have to wait long.
"HOW IN THE BLOODY HELL DID THIS HAPPEN?" I roared loudly, hearing the clangor form my own voice echoing around the massive apartment we all shared.
The apartment was originally individual but we all had put our money together to buy three whole floors of the building and completely renovating it. We had all gotten used to living with each other for the three years of the war; and even though most of us were married off- we didn't want to separate. So we came up with the idea of living together- but comfortably.
"Hermione calm down. I'm sure there's someth…" Harry started.
"Calm down? CALM DOWN? You aren't the one who is going to be forced to be sold and married some complete stranger. You aren't going to be forced to stand up on some stage while men call out prices for you. You're lucky…both of you are!" I said heatedly as glared down Harry and Ron. I notice both of them flinch and scoot a little behind their respective wives.
I couldn't fathom why I was so utterly upset. It wasn't like I hadn't heard whispers of this happening. The war that ended two years ago had left the already miniscule wizarding world completely lacking in population and funds. So some pompous idiot high up in the ministry must have come up with the 'clever' idea to create a wizarding baby boom.
"Who signed the bill?" I asked angrily- a plan was already forming in my head- the numerous ways I could make them suffer.
Ron picked up the discarded paper warily and scanned it quickly. When his eyes widened in shock, I immediately knew the answer.
"Percy. I'm going to kill that brother of yours", Malfoy stated before I had a chance to.
"I'll pop some popcorn and watch", Ginny said as she sat on the table.
"I'm going to make him a howler right now", I said determinedly as I walked towards my room.
"Granger, there is no point in that! He probably already has thousands by now." Malfoy said in that condescending tone that I loathed.
I huffed and plumped down on the couch- knowing he was right.
"Yeah, just leave the howlers to my Mum, he's going to get a good-ear bashing for this one" Ron said as he absentmindedly played with a string of Pansy's midnight locks.
"The idea of settling down petrifies me." Draco stated looking off distantly. I could tell from his facial expression that he was being totally honest.
"Mate, what is it that you have against marriage- most people look at is a beautiful and natural thing" Harry said as he hugged Ginny to him.
"Well, I don't know- maybe if I had a better idea of marriage growing up- but I guess an abusive and unfaithful father was an okay role model for the husband that I wish to portray." Malfoy sneered sarcastically.
"Draco, that's not fair. Your father is trying his hardest to…", Hermione cut in.
"To what? We still don't speak! He was never a real father to me growing up. Now he suddenly wants to be Father of the Year!" Draco bellowed.
"Okay, we get your point, but you aren't anything like how your father was back then, Draco. Plus, he's changed now for the better. Your mother and father are happy now. You can look at how your father used to treat your mother and use it as a guide on how NOT to treat your wife." Pansy said in a quiet voice.
Draco's admission had sobered everyone's agitated mood.
"Whatever. I'm already going to have to start like him, buying my wife. I'm going to go visit my Mum- I haven't seen her ages. She's bound to be happy now; she has been nagging me about making her grandchildren for years." Draco said lightening up the mood.
"I'll come with- I have to talk to her and Lucius about something anyway", I said perking up.
Ever since Draco and his parents crossed over to the light side during the war, Narcissa, Lucius, and I have been close. We started off as timid friends but when my parents were killed in a death eater attack, Lucius felt obliged to let me stay with him. Well, really it was Narcissa's doing, but that's beside the point. Narcissa became like a surrogate mother to me, I would've been lost without her. Lucius, however, was another story. He was frosty to me most of the time, but eventually he warmed up to me. Draco despised our close relationship- mostly out of weariness- I had a feeling he thought I was trying to steal his parents away from him, as juvenile as that sounded.
But then again, Draco Malfoy has always been pretty juvenile, always has been- always will be.
He made a face when I said I'd be accompanying him and I rolled my eyes. I was looking forward to seeing my shoulder to lean on, my lifeline- somehow she'd see the bright side of this…somehow.
Author's Note: Alright, love it, hate it? Should I give it up now? I know I haven't written in ages- but this story has just been bouncing around in my head and I know it's the typical marriage law plot- but what can I say? I love pushing two people together against their iron-strength wills! I'm briefly abandoning my Australian Getaway story- I seem to have lost all inspiration for it. But I am not giving up on it completely- I'm pretty sure something brilliant will hit me but right now, anything I write for that story feels forced. So in the meantime just enjoy this one. Please review!!!!
Update: Okay, I have completely renovated the story. I felt it was going down a redundantly typical route, so I re-did the plot a bit. Hope you guys like the changes. So when this is validated, make sure to forget about Chapter 2, since it hasn't been edited yet.
