Millicent Bulstrode and the Law of Dreams.

Chapter One: Here and then.

"Oh my god! Did you hear?"

Astoria Greengrass squealed from the safety of the Slytherin common room. With no other Houses in sight and the majority of the students within the common room being female it was nice to be able to let their 'Pureblood Mask' fall and just relax like any other person might. What most forgot was that Slytherin was just a House. It was just filled with students like the other three. It wasn't the gateway to Hell or anything like that. Infact if they weren't bullied - and oh they were just not in the same way as they did it to others - then those who had fallen prey to Tom Riddle's charms would have been able to resist and be upstanding members of society. Unfortunately this lesson was learnt far too late - after the war was over and only thanks to the Golden Trio who had then proceeded to clear Severus Snape's name and get rid of the Slytherin stereotype. They had even openly befriended Draco Malfoy.

"My father just told me last night. The marriage law will be in effect tomorrow and it'll be announced this evening through all wizarding media channels from the wireless to newspapers."

Pansy Parkinson replied, carefully looking over her fresh manicure. Daphne placed a hand over Astoria's own excited palms in an effort to subdue and calm her.

"Its going to be okay. We're society ladies. Pureblood, bred and raised. We have ettiquete and beauty..."

Pansy, Astoria and Daphne glanced at Millicent briefly upon the last word before a cough from Daphne brought their attention back to herself,

"Everything will be okay. It'll just be like Valentine's Day only it'll be to decide who gets the honour of being our husband."

Both genders, aged sixteen to sixty who were fertile, were allowed to choose three people as options to be their husband or wife. If any were mutual the magic would create a bond, signified by a tattoo upon their inner wrist. Once this tattoo occurs then there is a time limit of one week to meet up (and touch) their future spouse. Within one month they must be married, and within the next month the marriage must be consumated. A child, was of course, expected within a year of the tattoo's creation. For same sex couples there were options for them to be able to create a child of their own, most found in the muggle world thanks to the knowledge of Hermione Granger.

Whilst such a marriage law, to preserve and make magical blood flourish once more, would be an outrage to many it wasn't so for Millie. She'd always consciously known she'd never really had a chance with the man of her dreams, but with his subsequent divorce and this new marriage law... well, it really looked like things were looking up. Maybe she really did have a chance of experiencing romance!

"Do... do you think he'd accept me?"

Millie asked softly, biting her lower lip as she looked at her circle of super-model looking friends.

Of course they all knew about her crush and had always teased her about it within the group. They thought it genuinely laughable that she'd yearn for anyone, and when she could choose anyone that she'd choose him as well. It was in the same laughable league as Hermione Granger with Lucius Malfoy or Severus Snape, and the thought of Millie - to them - of doing anything romantic was as cringe worthy (and vomit inducing) as Minvera and Albus getting nasty on the Headmaster's desk. Pansy, Astoria, and Daphne would never claim Millie was their friend, nor would they offer their support in any way, however seeing Millie rejected was an amusing thought so as usual they pretended to be nice to Millie for their own amusement.

Deep down Millie knew how they felt and what they were doing but since she was so starved for any kind of relationships outside of her parents, she buried her head in the sand and pretended to be oblivious.

"Of course Millie! Why, he'd be lucky to have you choose him. Infact, this is really perfect. He tried the ideal in a Veela and look how that worked out! He clearly needs a real woman just like you. He's got that stupid infantile mindset of the playwizard behind him and now he's ready for the real deal. You would be crazy not to grab hold of this opportunity with both hands."

Daphne assured her, being the eldest of the group it gave her words more clout. Not only that but she had the experience to manipulate effortlessly, and although Millie could see the truth behind what was said, it didn't matter because those were the words she wanted to hear and this made it even harder to resist. What if Daphne was actually right without knowing it? It could happen. Stranger things had happened like a Gryffindor turning into a rat then into a pet and then into Tom Riddle's secret servant?

"I'll do it!"

Millie whispered, a determined gleam in her soft, brown eyes.

No one had ever shown Millicent a great deal of manners let alone friendship. Whilst she had not been an early bloomer when it came to puberty she had been affected by it earlier then all of her peers. At the age of ten years old she happened to be out of bed, unable to sleep, and heard her father in the drawing room with his friends.

She had been relatively slim back then...

Her father's words had been vulgar. He'd been talking about women, and what current girls would look like as women, as well as what they were 'good' for, and what he'd like to 'do' to them. It had been vile. She hadn't understood some of it but she did understand most - your body was not your own. Especially if you were beautiful. Millie had never been beautiful like Fleur Delacour but she had been cute once upon a time. She was waiting for her letter to Hogwarts and she knew if she didn't want to have her body used and abused by others then she'd have to find a way to put them off.

So she'd started eating all the wrong foods, put weight on, and when she got to Hogwarts she made herself appear to be a bully. She threatened those smaller then her, took whatever they had monetary wise or sentimental wise, and then left them behind in pain. What hurt her the most though was that despite having sneers and looks of disgust sent her way visable for her to see was that not much changed. Things were normal... Well, she got what she wanted - no male wanted to have her in a marriage. However it made her wonder if no one would want her even if she wasn't depicted as a bully.

As for her size... well, she hadn't really done much in changing her diet but cut out the token salad and fruit here and there. She tried to eat healthy, always had, but it had never worked for her to loose weight. It just seemed to help her gain weight. Maybe she was just meant to be round.

It had been during the Triwizard Tournament that she saw him for the first time. He'd been there to support his brother with one of the tasks since keeping one dragon safe and secure took a lot of experience and magic, so the brother would definitely need a lot of help for four. It was sort of ironic really when she looked back on it that this tournament must have been where her crush had met his wife for the first time... before she actually was his wife.

Still, the moment she had met him had been firmly imprinted onto her mind and she could still remember it as if it was yesterday...

Millie darted around the corner, eager to get to the Quidditch Pitch where the first task was taking place. Hopefully she'd still be able to find a decent lookout point so she could watch the Bulgarians in action. They were so strong, so muscular, that even though Millie knew she didn't have a chance with them she couldn't help but admire them anyway. She usually didn't go faster then a walk, or a mild jog if no one was around, but this power-walk was for a good cause.

Then within a second her bottom was on the ground, her head and bottom hurt, and she was moaning as she tried to - instinctively - massage both areas to make the pain go away.

"Sh- I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

Came a deep, husky voice that sent shivers down her spine. Millie glanced up, wide eyed, at the sight of the muscular, burly man infront of her.

"Allow me."

He murmurred, holding one large hand out towards her. She felt her face flush, a shy smile twitching at her lips as she slowly slid her hand into his. Oh! His hand engulfed hers. He was bigger then her. She was smaller. A flutter of butterflies appeared in her stomach as she felt him pull her up onto her feet with ease. It was as if she was a feather!

"I honestly must apologise," He began, lifting her hand up to press a kiss upon her knuckles, "Miss?"

Millie was entranced. He was showing ettiquete to her, not just normal ettiquete either. The kind a man showed to a woman which she had never experienced before. He thought she was a woman. A Pureblood Lady...

"Millie."

She whispered back, a blush covering her cheeks. She knew she should have given him her last name but she knew Bulstrode would definitely spoil the mood as would her full name of Millicent.

"What a pretty name for such a pretty lady."

He replied charmingly, pressing another butterfly kiss to her knuckles before letting go. Millie couldn't help but rest her hand against her breast lightly, her eyes only for him.

"T-thankyou, Mister...?"

"Jeez! I'm mucking this up badly aren't I?" He groaned, ruffling his long, red hair before adding on, "Bill Weasley, at your service."

For a moment they shared a mutual smile that felt like, to Millie, as if their souls were searching each others and found them appealing. She knew it was stupid, she did, but she allowed her heart to have a single weak thought: 'I choose him'.

"May I escort you anywhere?"

He asked softly, holding his thick arm out towards her. Biting her bottom lip, she nodded shyly as she slowly placed a hand around his lower arm.

"I was just heading towards the Quidditch Pitch so I could see the first task."

Millie commented, glancing up at him from underneath her long, black hair. She felt so short and small compared to him. She was five foot nine inches tall and around fifteen stone, yet with Bill she felt like one of those petite Veela. He made her feel that way. She felt... special. No one had ever treated her like this, with kindness, and so she knew this must be something special. Something real. She'd heard stories of soulmates and true loves, along with the history of enchantments and potions that were supposed to identify or bring together these 'soulmates' or 'true loves'. None had ever been proven right or wrong but Millie was pretty sure that this was what it must feel like when soulmates or true loves finally met.

The rest, as they say, was history. He had been a complete gentleman, treating her how all wellbred Society Men treat Society Women, and she'd been hooked. She'd even offered him her hankerchief, as she had seen the likes of Narcissa Black (well, she had been a Black at the time) and Daphne Greengrass do to the men they wished to court. From what she understood if the man accepted it then he was accepting their courtship for a future date. Bill had taken it. He had agreed to be hers in the future - probably when she was of age although they'd never out right discussed it. Not yet. It wasn't what you did in polite society.

Millie had been devastated when she heard he had married that part-Veela Fleur Delacour. She'd thought it out logically though and realised that every man was weak to the Veela charm, and it hadn't helped when Fleur adamantly argued that even as a half-Werewolf she still wanted him. Of course that had been a lie in the end, but Millie had been relieved when it fell apart. She felt sorry for him of course, she hated that he had to feel pain especially when he found out she was leaving him for someone else, and if she could have spared him any pain then she would have done. However it also meant she had another chance, and with this new law she had an even bigger chance.

Their souls could still mesh. She could still make him happy. Mille would soon be able to see if she was really a man repellent or if Bill Weasley was 'the one'.

She just hoped it was the latter.