Arranged

Her eyes were wide as she stared at the paper, her heart pounding in her chest. She could barely believe what she was reading, she might have thought that she was dreaming (or have a nightmare) except for the fact that ever pinch did not end in jolting awake. This cannot be true. The Daily Prophet dropped to the table below her, the smiling face of Rita Skeeter shone up at her, but her eyes were no longer focused as she stared off into the night. This cannot be happening.

MUGGLE BORN PROTECTION SCHEME
by Rita Skeeter

Due to the excessive damage to the wizarding community, there have been a few addenda to the Ministry's 'new' rule.
Many of the rules were demolished in the months of destruction that was caused by the Death Eaters take-over. Along with
that – through the terror of He-who-must-not-be-named's ruling, most of the muggle born wizard and witches have been
eradicated or imprisoned. Along with these horrific circumstances, many pure of half-blood families have been killed for
opposing Death Eater rule. With the loss of so many young magical people, the Ministry have decided to change course,
and re-introduce an old plan.

To protect those with magic blood, it has been ordered of all Muggle-borns to connect their line with a Pure bloodline.
This will involve all Muggle-borns who failed to make themselves known during Lord Voldemorts' rule being called
to come to the Ministry for assignment. Once this has been completed each Muggle-born will either voluntarily join
with a Pure-blood, or it will be arranged by the Ministry.

This is for the protection of the magic within us all, and we must do everything we can to help our people survive.

The telephone across the room sprang to life suddenly, its ringing filling the room. Hermione looked back to the paper, in a daze, and shook her head. This must be a joke. She rose from her chair and moved across to the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hermione? Are you there?" Harry's voice called through the line.
"Yeah, I'm here," she said softly, her eyes not seeing anything in particular. She looked back across the room, her heart beating fast as they landed on the paper again.
"Did you see the newspaper yet?" His voice was calm, but behind that she heard the stress and fear he must be feeling.
"Yeah."
"What are you going to do?" Hermione shook her head, as if finally her thoughts had caught up to her.
"What can I do, Harry? This has been issued by the Ministry!" She walked back across the kitchen, steps echoing in her ears. She picked up the paper and sighed. "I'm going to the Burrow; hopefully Mr Weasley hasn't left for work yet."
"I'll meet you there."

She arrived at the Burrow, paper in hand, and was greeted by a flurry of voices.
"What is happening?" She asked as she approached Ginny.
"Hermione!" She yelled, flinging her arms around her friends' neck. "Did you see it? Oh, of course you did! It's so medieval!" Ginny's eyes were wide and she talked fast. "Everyone has been harassing dad about it for an hour!" They walked through the kitchen and into the lounge where the rest of the Weasley family sat. A pop behind them told them that Harry had arrived.
"Hermione!"
"Hermione!"
"Oh, Hermione dear!" The others said, looking at her as she entered. Molly rushed to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's such terrible news!" Hermione just looked at Mr Weasley.
"Is there any way to stop it?"

The older man run his hands through his fast thinning hair and sighed.
"The law was passed by the entire Wizengamot. You could make a plea... but it wouldn't go through fast enough to get out of it. The rest of the world is probably feeling the same, and even if every single Muggleborn did something, it wouldn't work fast enough to stop it before everyone who refuses to receive some sort of punishment. I'm – I'm so sorry!"

Hermione stared at him. It make sense... there wasn't enough time before they implement it.
"It sounds so terrible. 'This will involve all Muggle-borns who failed to make themselves known during Lord Voldemorts' rule being called to come to the Ministry for assignment...' It's exactly what Voldemort was asking!" Ron hissed, his eyes quickly turning to empathy as he glanced in Hermiones' direction.
"Arthur, tell me... What is the ratio of Muggleborns to Pure-bloods?" Molly asked, her eyes wide and rimmed in red. Arthur sighed.
"Well, according to studies – we don't know the exact amount – but they're thinking that there might be about the same amount of Muggleborns to Purebloods, and that is not even considering who is married, and who is not..." The elderly wizard sighed. "There is a chance, Mols, that our children might be caught up in it..." he glanced at Harry as well, "All of them." Molly gasped as she looked around the room and her birth and all-but-adopted children. She gave a cry and collapsed around Ginny, her body shaking as she clutched her youngest daughter.
"What does that mean?" George asked softly.
"If they run out of Purebloods, they might have to move on to Halfbloods... that sounds so crass and blunt, I'm sorry Harry, my boy."

"It mentions that this was done before, does anyone remember that?" Harry asked from across the room. Hermione frowned.
"I don't remember anything from History of Magic?" She said, looking around at the others.
"I know," Arthur said from his seat on the couch. "You all know Rosmerta? From the three broomsticks?" Everyone nodded. "She was a few years younger than us at Hogwarts, and she used to tell this crazy story about her mother's Grandmother. She said that the Ministry once passed a law – exactly like this one. That was how her great-grandparents ended up together."
"So, they really went through with it?"
"What were they supposed to do? Back then, you couldn't safely question the Ministry. They were in charge and their word was final."

George, who had left the room some time back, re-entered with a letter in hand. Hermione looked at him as he stared at the paper.
"Is something wrong?" She asked, taking a step toward him.
"It's from Angelina..." He whispered. The entire room was quiet as he read it, waiting for him to speak, "...she asked me to marry her." Everyone was staring at him as he all but collapsed to the couch beside his father.
"Are you going to do it?" Ron asked softly.
"I can't say no! She would have to marry a stranger..." His eyes were wet now as he looked at them, "... but I don't know if I can marry my –" his breath caught in his throat, "... my brothers' girlfriend?"

The room was quiet as they waited for him to decide. Finally he got up and walked out, not saying a word. Molly looked to her husband, her cheeks damp.
"Arthur..."
"There's nothing I can do, Mol," he said, a little too harshly. Her lip quivered as she too walked from the room.
"Has anyone talked to anyone else?" Hermione asked the room, but everyone shook their heads – except Ginny.
"I owled Dean, but he hasn't replied yet. I'm not sure what he's going to do... considering his circumstance." As soon as the words left her lips she gasped. Hermione frowned.
"Circumstances?"
"Damn it! I'm the worst!"
"Ginny?" Hermione pressed. Everyone else in the room was staring at her, waiting for an explanation.
"Um... well... it's just that..." she sighed. "About a week after Harry and I started dating, Dean came to me – he wanted to talk. He said he needed to explain why we didn't work."
"You kept fighting right?" Ron said.
"Shoosh, Ronald!" Ginny hissed and continued her story. "He was so nice about it, and he told me that he trusted me with the truth. The truth that we broke up because... because he was in love with someone else."
"Who?"
"Uh..." Ginny rubbed the back of her neck. Hermione gasped, her eyes wide.
"'Circumstances'..." she quoted, "... it's Seamus!?" Ginny nodded, a blush spreading across her cheeks.
"I thought it was adorable!" The rest of the room was speechless. Ron's mouth was gaping as he looked between Ginny and Harry.
"I had no idea! And I slept in the same room as them!"
"They weren't doing it or anything, Ronald! He never even told Seamus!" Ginny hissed, "but when he went missing in that last year, Seamus almost went out of his mind with worry!" Harry and Hermione were smiling at each other, both of them remembering the reunion that everyone witnessed between the two with a new clarity.

George finally returned with a small, sad smile on his lips – followed by Molly. There was a moment's pause before he spoke.
"I'm getting married!" The room erupted into congratulations, even though they were slightly weighed down by the fact that the engagement was almost forced on their brother.

After the excitement of engagement and love reveals, Hermione watched Harry take Ginny aside. They walked out the back and down to a small tree. She couldn't see Harry's face, but watched as Ginny expression changed from a smile to one of confusion, then shock followed by a blank one. Finally Ginny smiled again, wrapping her arms around Harry's neck. Hermione moved away from the window as they made there was back up to the house. Once they re-entered Ginny sought her out and asked to speak with her in private.
"It's very important!"

"Ginny, what's up?" Hermione asked, frowning slightly.
"Harry just offered to propose to me."
"What!?" Hermione said rather loudly.
"SHH!" Ginny hissed, looking around them to see if anyone had followed. "He told me that he cared about me, and he didn't want to see me have to marry some Muggleborn man that I don't want to. So, if I'm already engaged... they can't assign me to someone." Hermiones look of shock turned into a smile.
"So, you won't really be getting married?"
"No. After this all blows over, we'll pretend to break up and everything will go back to normal." There was a small silence.
"Gin... if he had asked you to – how do I say this... actually marry him. Would you?" Ginny bit her lip as she seemed to consider the question.
"Probably." Hermione smiled sympathetically, giving her best friend a small hug. There was a soft knock behind them, making both of the women jump.
"Hermione, can I talk to you?"

Hermione took a deep breath as she walked out the back door, and just knew that Ginny was lingering by the window – watching them. Hermione expected to stop by the small tree, but they continued walking, until they were very much out of view of the house. Hermione was so tired as they finally made it to the small stone wall that cut the back of the Burrows' yard off from the rest of the farm land beyond. This day had gone by so fast, but she was still so exhausted from dealing with all the news that had been thrust upon them.
"Hermione... I'm not sure what you want to do, and if I know you at all – you're gonna want to fight through this. Maybe get arrested because of it." A small chuckle. "But I don't want to watch that happen." Ron wasn't looking at her. His eyes were on the horizon where the sun was finally setting behind the clouds that hung there and the mountains in the distance. Hermione was speechless as she stared at him. "Forgive me if I'm over-stepping, as I know I often do. But... what I'm trying to say is – I want to offer you me... in marriage..." He finally looked at her, his face completely red and eyes full of fear. Hermione's thoughts immediately jumped back to the Yule ball, and how similar but very, very different this was. Suddenly she thought about their friendship, how scared she was when he was poisoned. How jealous of him and Lavender she was. How much she had want to kiss him all last year. How angry he made her, and how happy he did as well. She looked into his face, his eyes, and saw everything about him that annoyed her – and how all of that was insurmountable to the things she loved. She thought about how much he'd changed and grown. Then – as though she was coming out of a dream, she realised where she was standing, what he was offering her and her heart was so full of gratitude and surprisingly, love. She just couldn't believe it took being forced to marry someone to make her see it.

Without another moments thought she pushed off the wall she had been leaning on and pressed her lips to his. That was when it hit her – the dread. He had offered to marry her so she did not have to marry someone else, not because he loved her. She was about to pull away, cheeks flushed, and apologise profusely, when his hands snaked around her waist and he pulled her closer. The kiss became more intense and her eyes fluttered closed. They finally parted, both of them breathing heavily, and smiling. It was then that Hermione had to chastise herself for not remembering the kiss with the basilisk fangs... of course he liked her! At least a little bit?
"So, is that a yes?" He was smiling, obviously very pleased with how this had turned out. Hermione was smiling too.
"Yes! Ronald Weasley... I will marry you."

A/N: Words - 2,286

Ancient Runes - "Write about someone undergoing a major life change." (400) [Arranged-Marriage!AU]

School of Prompts - Rosmerta [mention]