~Till Death Do Us Part?~
~One~
I'm the innocent bystander
Somehow I got stuck,
Between the rock and the hard place
And I'm down on my luck.
Lawyers, Guns and Money - Warren Zevon
Dear Sir/Madam,
My name is Edrice Fishburn and I have just been announced head of The Department of Wizarding Unity, Peaceful Living and Muggle Relations.
May I be the first congratulate you on your involvement in the Great Wizarding War. Without your continued support and commitment to the Ministry during this dark time, I fear our defeat of He Who Must Not Be Named, may not have been victorious. On behalf of the Ministry and the Minister himself, I thank you.
You may find my writing to you strange, especially after two months of silence from the ministry. However, my purpose in writing to you is as follows; the ministry is fearful that due to the disruptive nature of last years events, your year of schooling may have been insufficient. Therefore, we wish to offer you a position at Hogwarts in the new school year. You will be placed in a special new program, along with your fellow sixth and seventh year classmates. Here, the teachings you may have missed due to last years events, will be retaught. Please note that this year, while optional, is highly recommended, especially to those who wish to further their studies outside of Hogwarts.
Please send confirmation of your attendance by owl, no later than the 15th of August. We look forward seeing you on the 1st of September.
Sincerely,
Edrice Fishburn
Head of Wizarding Unity, Peaceful Living and Muggle Relations.
The atmosphere in the empty classroom was tense, so much so that you could almost cut it with a knife. A collection of students, looking slightly dishevelled from the long train ride, sat side by side, scattered around a large circular table. After arriving at Hogwarts, the students had been rounded up without explanation and immediately herded into the classroom. They hadn't even had a chance to say "Hello" to old friends or discuss holidays.
Now as they waited patiently and curiously, the room was alive with chatter.
"Load of old rubbish, isn't it?" Ronald Weasley commented to Harry and Hermione, holding up his crumpled letter. He caste his eyes out, recognising the familiar faces of his classmates. His eyes rested upon a certain platinum haired nemesis.
"Fancy bloody Malfoy getting that letter," he scoffed. "Involvement in the Great War? Not on the good side, I can tell you that". Harry nodded in agreement.
"They still won't acknowledge they were infiltrated by Voldemort, even though everyone knows they where. That's why they've got Kingsley as Minister. A seasoned war hero? That's bound to build their reputation up," Harry commented.
Hermione broke in. "Then why did you both agree to come, if the letter was so stupid?" she said, a little tartly. The boys shrugged their shoulders.
"Beats finding a job," Ron said. Hermione laughed.
"You are a lazy git, Ronald Weasley," she remarked. Ron opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by the loud creaking of the classroom door. The door opened and three robed adults bustled in, the click clack of their shoes echoing throughout the small room. Two of the adults were easily recognizable as the new headmistress, Professor McGonagall, and the Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt. The third adult was a petite lady, her auburn hair coiled tightly in a bun. The trio made their way to the front of the classroom. Kingsley held up his hands and the chatter died away.
"Welcome back," he boomed, "I hope you will all find this year to be new and exciting."
"I wonder why he looks so nervous?" Hermione breathed to Harry. Harry shrugged and Hermione turned her attention back towards the front of the room.
"I appreciate your cooperation tonight. I understand how exhausted you must be after today's' journey. I promise to keep this as quick as possible," he continued. He cleared his throat.
"Before I begin, I would like to introduce you all to Miss Edrice Fishburn. I'm sure you're all familiar with the name."
Murmurs of agreement broke out around the room.
"Miss Fishburn was recently promoted to Head of the Department of Wizarding Unity. To add to her accolades, she has agreed to become spokesperson for a new Ministry initiative, Restoration and Repair."
Curious chatter broke out once again.
"Restoration and Repair? Could only be a crack-pot Ministry scheme with a name like that," Harry remarked. Hermione pursed her lips.
"I don't like the sound of this," she murmured. Kingsley held up his hands again.
"Restoration and Repair is the result of two months careful planning by Ministry officials." He stopped talking and motioned to Professor McGonagall, who was standing silently beside him, her face grim.
"We lost many great Wizards and Witches in the Wizarding War," she began. "Cedric Diggory, Fred Weasley, Colin Creevey, Vincent Crabbe, Professor Lupin, Professor Moody," she listed softly. The room was deathly silent as everyone remembered their fallen friends.
"Voldemort may be gone," she continued. There was a harsh intake of breaths in the room. He may have been gone, but the name was still taboo.
"Voldemort may be gone," she repeated, ignoring the protests, "But he left the Wizarding World in a state of chaos. Not just chaos, in fact, he left us on the brink of extinction."
Several students gasped.
"What's are you on about?" Ron snapped, "Extinction? I thought there was plenty of us left."
Professor McGonagall sighed. "There are a lot of Wizards and Witches in the world, Mr Weasley. Unfortunately the majority are too old to procreate."
This time, Hermione gasped. Harry looked at her in confusion, "What's wrong?" he asked. Hermione shook her head sadly.
"I'm not 100% sure. But I hope I'm wrong." Harry raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment.
"This is the reason Restoration and Repair was created," Kingsley interjected, "To save the Wizarding World."
"How?" A confused, Dean Thomas asked.
Kingsley swallowed, his throat dry and hands clammy. "Tomorrow, a new law will be instated. With it in place, young witches and wizards of 17 to 24 will be required, by law, to marry within the year. They will then be given another twelve months in which to produce a child."
The small room erupted with noise as each student tried to voice their opinion.
"I'm too young to get married," Cho Chang cried. "I don't want to get married," her friend, Pavarti Patil retorted. The minister looked on in despair as the voices heightened, some students even breaking into tears.
"I told you the idea was outrageous," Professor McGonagall commented snidely to him.
"Minerva, you of all people should know that I had no choice," he pleaded desperately.
She shrugged, "I can only imagine their reaction when you tell them who they are marrying."
The minister looked horrified.
Eventually, the protests quietened down and Hermione asked the inevitable question.
"How do you expect us all to find someone to marry within a year? Especially as we'll all be in school?"
Kingsley ran a hand over his smooth head. He wasn't sure how to answer. Eventually he decided, there was no use waffling on. He had to get straight to the point.
"Your spouses will be chosen for you. Tomorrow, you will be given a slip of paper with your chosen partners name on it."
"What about those of us who already have girlfriends?" Harry asked, glancing over at a worried Ginny.
"That has been taken into account, Mr Potter. Your future husbands and wives have not been chosen lightly. A panel of experts have worked tirelessly over the past two months matching up students. The personality, appeal and compatibility of each student has been studied. The person who is seen to compliment you the most, has been chosen."
"But this is ludicrous," Hermione broke in. "You can't do this! We don't live in the dark ages. We can't be married off and forced to have children. It's inhumane."
Suddenly, Kingsley snapped.
"Look Miss Granger. I know that right now it doesn't seem like the fairest idea. But I am the Minister for Magic and I have to do what's best for the Wizarding community. If you don't wish to participate than you can hand over your wand and you will be free to go. If you want to keep your magic, I suggest you get used to the idea very quickly."
Hermione folded her arms.
"What was the point of coming back to Hogwarts then? The idea of me 'furthering my studies', while looking after a child is laughable," she spat, tears forming in her eyes.
"We've even given you this last year at Hogwarts so you have an opportunity to be kids again and to get to know your spouses," Kingsley replied.
Hermione snorted.
"Please Minister. Don't insult my intelligence."
Ron grabbed Hermione's arm, attempting to pull her into her seat.
"Hermione," he whispered, "You can't talk to the Minister of Magic like that,".
Hermione jerked her arm out of Ron's grasp and folded them tightly again.
"Don't you see everyone?" she cried, stamping her foot in protest, "They don't care about our education. They wanted us all in the same place so we would be easier to control, so that no one could go into hiding or elope while they had the chance."
Hermione's outcry was followed by a few gasps of surprise and the odd "Here, Here."
The minister shifted uncomfortably.
"We appreciate the struggle you've gone through to regain some sort of normalcy and we understand that this new law comes as a bit or a ---er---shock,"
Someone in the audience snorted.
"But we believe it's the best solution. The Wizarding community is on the brink of extinction. We are counting on you. Our future is in your hands."
Hermione opened and closed her mouth, speechless. She detested the idea but she didn't want to be responsible for the extinction of the wizarding world.
"Surely there must be some other solution," someone piped up. Hermione turned to see Draco Malfoy standing, his hands clenched in anger.
"We are going to get married and have children eventually. Surely the wizarding world can survive for a few more years."
Hermione found herself agreeing with Draco.
"Mr Malfoy, if there was another way around this, I would have no hesitation in owling the Ministry right this moment and telling them to abolish the law. But there is no other way. I'm just sorry that it falls on your shoulders."
The room was silent once more, as each student tried to deal with the bombshell that had just been dropped. They were to be married in a year, to people not of their choosing.
Hermione looked at Harry and Ron with watery eyes. Harry wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
"Don't cry," he said, awkwardly comforting the girl, "We're all in this together."
"I think I'll kill myself if I get stuck with a Slytherin," she moped. Harry was glad to see a hint of a smile cross her face.
"I thought coming back would be a good idea. I've always loved Hogwarts. But it doesn't feel like home anymore." She smiled sadly and wiped her eyes. Standing, she linked arms with Harry and Ron and they made their way out of the classroom and into the dark corridor.
"We'll just have to make the best of it."
A/N: A marriage fiction? Not another one, I hear you cry! But, after reading several, I'm quite taken with the idea and wish to write my own. I'll try and make it as believable and unique as possible.
Please review!