Arizona felt nauseous. Wandering around the halls of the Ministry, surrounded by workers, all of them in a rush. Did anybody take time to just stop and think? Thinking was all Arizona could do nowadays. The thoughts that came back from the moment she stepped foot in the Ministry.
She shook those thoughts out of her head. That was in the past, and nobody here was going to hurt her. Not physically, anyway.
She should be at home, she mused, with her family. Except she didn't have any family - not any more, she grumbled - she had the war to thank for that. Instead, all Arizona had was the Weasleys.
She'd met Ginny Weasley on her first day at Hogwarts, and the two had immediately became friends. They were complete opposites in every way; Ginny was loud and boisterous, whereas Arizona enjoyed nothing more than curling up with a book and a mug of Butterbeer.
Yet they seemed to compliment each other. When Voldemort had risen, Arizona had done the only thing she could to keep her Muggle parents safe - she'd sent them into hiding. A carefully cast memory charm had rendered them unknowing of her existence, and they were truly safe.
It hurt, of course. She'd always been close with them, and she checked in on them from time to time - each time disguising herself as someone who needed to use their phone, or following them in a supermarket. They wouldn't have recognised her, of course, but she didn't want to arouse suspicion at seeing the same face so many times.
The Weasleys were all she had. Despite being grown up, they still invited her over frequently for dinner; family meant everything, especially after the loss of Fred. They'd welcomed her with open arms, and she couldn't have been more grateful. Whilst the Muggle world was oblivious to her existence, the Wizarding World was there to welcome her.
Though she wasn't too keen on the wizarding world right now.
It had been splashed all over the front page of The Daily Prophet not two days ago, announcing 'The Decree for the Magical Re-Population of Great Britain'. There hadn't been as much uproar as Arizona had been expecting; she'd done some research, and found that similar laws had been passed throughout magical history.
That didn't mean she was too keen on it - which brought her thoughts back to present day, standing in the Ministry of Magic.
The Department of Matrimonial Affairs had previously been a small, relatively unused office on the fourth floor. Now, however, it was bustling with anxious witches and wizards, the majority of whom did not seem best pleased to be present.
The receptionist had shot Arizona a look of bored disdain and told her to take a seat. Take a seat? How could she take a seat when this was being forced upon her?
Arizona shot the receptionist a filthy look and continued to pace.
After what seemed like hours, though was probably only thirty minutes at most, a nameless figure appeared from a doorway, calling her name. She felt a bizarre sense of Déjà vu - this was very much like being at work, though she was usually on the other side.
She followed the man into the office, and he closed the door behind her with a sense of finality. He asked her to take a seat with a tone that she didn't dare disobey.
"Thank you for coming, Miss Archer." He drawled. "As you are most likely aware, you have been called here today to discuss your involvement in the new Marriage Decree."
Arizona simply nodded.
"I must first check some details with you - just to ensure that all the information on the forms you provided is correct." He spoke, attempting to reassure her, though Arizona had probably never felt less reassured in her life.
"Full name?"
"Arizona Valentine Archer." she spoke in an almost bored, monotone voice.
"Age?"
"Twenty Two."
"Blood Status?"
"Muggleborn."
Arizona had to stop herself rolling her eyes at the man's reaction. He had clearly read through her file and her 'application'; his face showed it all. How could somebody so accomplished be muggleborn? Whilst the war may have been over for several years, the prejudice that caused it was still ingrained into many.
"Relationship status."
"Single."
The wizard, who had introduced himself as Etimus Cankle, one of the newly-appointed 'Advisors to the Magical Population', continued to check over the details of her application. Once he was done, he reached underneath the desk, bringing with him a manilla file.
Arizona could see her name on the front of the file. Etimus opened the file, rifling through it, making a few markings with a quill occasionally, before finally pulling out a sealed envelope, handing it to Arizona.
"Your match and details surrounding him are inside the contents of this envelope. You will have two weeks to correspond with your match, and which point it will be necessary to register your engagement with the Department of Matrimonial Affairs." said Etimus, his tone suggesting that he had already given this speech several times today.
"And if we aren't compatible?"
"I assure you, Madam, that the compatibility charms used are highly effective and thoroughly tested. However, in the very small chance that you find your match cannot be kept, you must inform the Ministry before the two week deadline. There will be a new match found for you, and the following two weeks extend to the new deadline. However, you may only change matches once, for obvious reasons."
"Thank you for your time." muttered Arizona.
"You're welcome. Enjoy your lasting happiness!"
His last words were so rehearsed that Arizona couldn't help but snicker. It reminded her of the old television adverts that she used to watch, with the catchy slogans.
She left the Ministry, clutching the envelope tightly. The large clock in the alleyway outside the telephone box declared it One O'Clock. Since it was Arizona's day off, she was eager to spend it with Ginny, whom she hadn't seen for several days.
With that thought, she walked to a nearby deserted alleyway, checked her surroundings to ensure there was nobody nearby, turned on the spot, apparating away.
The Burrow came into view as Arizona landed, and she couldn't help the swell of warmth inside her at the sight of it. She remembered how embarrassed Ginny had been when she first brought Arizona to visit.
Arizona couldn't fathom why Ginny was embarrassed of The Burrow - it was Arizona's favourite place. Sure, it was a little haphazardly built, and it needed a little fixing up, but it was homely and cosy. More importantly, she felt like home when she was there.
She started the descent down the grassy bank towards The Burrow, where she knew Ginny would be. The Holyhead Harpies trained during the evenings, so Ginny would almost certainly be home.
Sure enough, following a sharp knock on the door, it opened to reveal the young redhead, who beamed up at Arizona. She found herself engulfed in a tight hug, one that Molly would be proud of. Ginny eventually released Arizona, and the two entered the house and strolled into the kitchen.
"So, how did the meeting go?" called Ginny, brewing a pot of tea half-heartedly with her wand.
"Alright," shrugged Arizona. "He checked my details, made sure everything was in order. Then he gave me my match."
"Well? Who is it?" asked Ginny excitedly.
"I don't know. I couldn't bare to open it on my own."
Ginny nodded sympathetically. She couldn't help but feel bad for her friend; sure, she came under the law, but her and Harry were engaged. They only had to apply for permission to be matched, which they had. The conception clause of the decree was somewhat off putting, as she certainly had no plans for children yet, but she was in a much better position than most.
"Well, let me pour us some tea, and we'll open it." Ginny spoke decisively. Her friend was brave, and she knew that inside, Arizona was probably very scared. She needed to be brave for her best friend. "The compatibility charms they've used are accurate, Ari. Maybe you'll like the match."
"Maybe." agreed Arizona miserably.
Ginny strode over to the table where Arizona sat, placing a mug of tea down in front of the sullen witch. Ginny sat opposite her, cradling her own mug of tea with a sympathetic expression. Arizona sat in silence for a moment, taking deep breaths, before reaching into her satchel and pulling out the envelope with all the answers.
She placed it in the middle of the table, eyeing it warily.
"Come on, Ari, you can do this. It's only a name." encouraged Ginny.
"You're right." Arizona reasoned. "Just a name."
She took the envelope into her hands, turning it over and sliding a finger under the wax seal to peel it open. She tossed the contents out onto the table carefully.
The copied file lay on the table, teasing Arizona. She knew that she had to get it over with; the deadline for engagement was in two weeks, and she'd already wasted thirty minutes not even knowing who her match was.
She took the file into her hands, gazing over the name.
Remus John Lupin.
"Fuck," cursed Arizona. "This is not going to go well."
"Who is it?" questioned Ginny, a curious glint in her eye.
"Remus Lupin."
"As in, from the Order 'Remus Lupin'?" repeated Ginny."
"The very same." sighed Arizona.
"Merlin's beard, Ari. I did not expect that."
Arizona looked back down to the file curiously.
Remus John Lupin, born 10th March 1960
Current Occupation: Unknown
Blood Status: Half Blood
Included was a picture of Remus, not that Arizona needed one; he had taught her in her Second Year at Hogwarts, and she had frequent contact with him due to the Order. She knew him well enough to know that he would not be best pleased with match.
"What are you going to do? You've got to at least meet with him."
"I don't know, Gin. I really don't know."