A/N: Hello! Thanks for checking out my story. It is a Dramione marriage-law fic taking placing directly after HBP.
Disclaimer: All rights to J.K. Rowling for material used from Harry Potter in this and future chapters.
Chapter One – Departures, Delays, &DADA
Hermione was roused by frantic voices and her mind registered that something was terribly wrong. She grabbed her wand and bolted out of bed.
"What's going on?" she asked. Ginny did not respond she just followed Hermione out of the room and down the stairs.
"They're gone," she heard Mrs. Weasley sob from the kitchen, "oh Arthur they're going to be killed! And I'm never going to…" She broke down completely and tears trickled down her face. There were other voices too, all speaking in hushed tones, but when Hermione and Ginny entered the kitchen they were met with complete silence.
"Hermione!" Lupin said sharply. He hesitated for a moment, and Hermione's heart raced in dreadful anticipation. After an unbearable silence, he added: "You didn't go with them?"
It all clicked into place, and Hermione's heart stopped as she realized that Harry and Ron had left without her. They had abandoned her to search for the Horcruxes. Her eyes began to burn. She let the tears fall and slid down the wall onto the floor pulling her knees towards her chest.
"They left…without me," she gasped, "oh my God."
No one said a word. They just stood there watching as Hermione broke down slowly and Mrs. Weasley continued to sob. After a long while the crack of apparition disrupted their shock. Hermione looked towards the door and saw Mad-Eye approaching quickly and furiously.
"Order meeting now! Everyone else OUT!" He bellowed this so loudly that even the twins exited without complaint. Ginny grabbed Hermione's arm and struggled to pull her out, but Moody stopped her.
"Granger stays here."
Ginny paused glancing from Moody to Hermione before departing silently. Hermione was still on the floor, but she heard chairs being scraped across the floor as everyone took their seats. Mr. Weasley approached her and helped her to the table. She numbly recognized the other members that were present: Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Lupin, Moody, Tonks, Bill, Charlie, and Kingsley Shacklebolt, who had arrived with Moody.
"Constant Vigilance!" Moody roared, and the entire table flinched.
"Really Mad-Eye," Tonks protested, "we all knew he wanted to leave; this wasn't unexpected."
"So you should have been prepared," Moody snapped. He waited a moment to catch his breath before turning to Hermione. "Where have they gone?"
"I don't know," she responded honestly. She knew what was coming, and dreaded it.
"What are they doing?"
"You know I'm not going to tell you," Hermione responded, her voice strengthening slightly. Moody looked livid, his hand were clenched into fists at his sides and his face was slowly turning a vibrant shade a red.
"Hermione, Harry and Ron are putting themselves in great danger and we only want to help them. I know you want what's best for them, too," Lupin said calmly in an attempt to persuade her.
"I'm sorry, Professor Lupin," Hermione replied, "but you all know that Dumbledore left Harry a mission and he wanted it to be kept secret."
Lupin seemed unsurprised, but Moody continued to fume.
"See here, Miss Granger," he barked, "Potter is a seventeen year old boy, he is not prepared-"
"Don't you dare tell me that Harry is not qualified!" Hermione cut in shrilly. She stood up and smacked her palms down against the table. "Harry, Ron, and I have been in this fight since we were eleven. We stopped You-Know-Who from getting the Philosopher's Stone. Harry dueled with him when he returned. We all fought in the Ministry to protect the precious prophecy," she spat with her face twisted in anger, "and Harry was with Dumbledore the night he died." She paused for a moment, and was met by silence and grave faces. Everyone seemed mildly impressed and shocked by her outburst except for Mad-Eye Moody.
"I'm not questioning Potter's accomplishments," Moody growled, "But the wizarding world is depending on him and running away just to end up dead is not bravery."
"He is not running away!" Hermione shouted.
"Then why didn't he bring you with him?" Moody responded. The table was silent and Hermione's jaw dropped at his cruel tactic.
"Alastor, that was uncalled for," Mr. Weasley said quietly.
"Maybe it was Arthur," Moody responded briskly, "but Potter is our best bet and Miss Granger is our only chance of saving him. Now if she refuses to tell us anything I happen to have some Veritaserum on me."
Hermione still did not respond. She remained standing with her eyes brimming with tears of anger and frustration.
"No, Alastor," warned Kingsley, his deep voice calming Hermione, if only momentarily. She took a deep breath and removed herself from the table. Moody looked disappointed.
"Hermione, you should go get ready. We don't want to miss the train," Mr. Weasley said quietly. Hermione nodded and left the kitchen. She had her foot on the first stair when she hesitated. She snuck back to the door and carefully pressed her ear against it. She knew it was something Harry would have done and that thought reassured her slightly.
"-in shock, she definitely doesn't know where they are. If they left without her they wouldn't have told her where they were going," Bill said.
"I don't understand why they would leave her behind, it doesn't make sense."
"Oh, yes it does," Moody's voice had a bitter edge to it, "I left an advanced copy of today's Prophet here yesterday. I'm betting Potter got his hands on it and if he read the front page he would have realized he couldn't bring her along."
His words were met with silence and a confused Hermione was about to leave when Mrs. Weasley spoke. Her voice was clearer now, "I still wish they could have taken her, at least then I could have a little more peace of mind. We can't deny she is the smartest and the least rash. She would have tried to keep them out of too much trouble.
"Is there any news on the new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher?" Charlie asked, breaking the long silence.
"No, the Ministry is keeping their mouth shut for once," Moody grumbled. "But it is not going to be pleasant. They are still angry that Minerva was appointed Headmistress."
"Who did they expect?"
"They were pushing for Snape," Moody answered darkly. "I don't know why; they are gaining enough control with this new law."
Hermione's mind raced with curiosity, but she heard the chairs moving again so she quietly hurried upstairs.
The morning passed in a haze for Hermione. She dressed, loaded her trunk into the car with Crookshanks safely tucked away in his basket, ate breakfast, and before she knew it she was facing platform 9¾. It had been an unusually quiet journey. Moody, Kingsley, and Lupin decided not to escort them to the station to avoid drawing attention to Harry and Ron's absence. No one said a word to Hermione throughout the journey, but Ginny kept shooting her worried glances while she chatted with Charlie.
Once they were on the platform, Hermione pulled herself together. I'm going back to Hogwarts. That's not a bad thing. I love Hogwarts…it's just unexpected. I was supposed to be with Harry and Ron.
Mrs. Weasley pulled Hermione out of her thoughts and into a warm embrace, whispering reassuringly: "everything will work out dear, they just wanted to keep you safe." Mr. Weasley patted her shoulder and smiled at her, before kissing his youngest daughter goodbye.
The atmosphere on the train was different than Hermione remembered. Students were clustered small groups whispering and more often than not there was a copy of the Daily Prophet amongst them. Hermione tried to glance at the paper as she searched for a compartment with Ginny, but she could not catch any headlines. She did, however, overhear part of the discussions.
"The Ministry!"
"It couldn't be…"
"Did you hear?"
"New law…"
"It just passed."
Hermione slid into an empty compartment with Ginny at her heels. As soon as the door was shut behind them, Ginny locked the door magically and cast muffliato.
"Tell me everything," she demanded.
Hermione was unsure what to tell her at first, but she finally understood how frustrated Ginny was with being kept in the dark. So she told her everything, with slight modifications to exclude the Horcruxes, but Ginny did not pressure her for information on Harry's mission.
"So the Order knew about this new law," Ginny muttered, taking her eyes off Hermione for the first time since their discussion began. "I'll be right back, I'm going to find a copy of the Prophet," she announced.
Hermione waited impatiently and began pacing the compartment, fretting over Harry and Ron, and whatever horrible new law the Ministry was putting into effect. Luckily for Hermione they had chosen a compartment at the end of the train so no one interrupted Hermione's agitated pacing. About five minutes later the compartment door slid open and Hermione looked up anxiously hoping that Ginny had returned, but it was Neville.
"Hullo Hermione," he greeted, taking the seat nearest to the door.
His smile was warm, but slightly sympathetic, and Hermione realized immediately that he knew about Harry and Ron. The train started moving, and Hermione stopped her pacing automatically. She took the seat next to the window and looked out hopelessly, wondering where her boys could be.
"Wait isn't the Head Girl supposed to give the speech to the new prefects?" Neville asked suddenly, peering at her Muggle sweater looking for the Head Girl badge.
"I'm not Head Girl," Hermione said aloud, realizing that she had not given the position a second thought since she was not planning on attending Hogwarts for her seventh year. Hermione thought back to the day when she, Harry, and Ron received their letters. There was no badge, no letter outlining her responsibilities, nothing, and she had not even thought twice about it.
"I'm sorry," Neville apologized quickly. "I thought it would be you for sure…" He trailed off uncertainly. Luna chose that moment to wander into their compartment. She looked as unusual as ever with her butterbeer cork necklace, radish earrings, and a pair of Spectrespecs pushed back into her hair.
"Do you know who the Head Boy is?" Hermione asked casually. The loss of the Head Girl badge did not seem so important after she had lost her two closest friends.
"Ernie MacMillan," he replied.
"The Head Girl is Padma Patil," Luna commented while examining the door with her Spectrespecs. "Everyone thought it was going to be you Hermione, but I'm not surprised. All those Nargles around Harry Potter were bound to affect you sooner or later." Hermione gawked at her, and Neville smiled sheepishly, but Luna did not seem to notice their attention.
Ginny opened the door and slammed it behind her. "You're not going to believe this," she said throwing the paper into Hermione's lap.
"New Minister of Magic passes law to 'promote' marriage," Hermione read aloud as Neville and Ginny moved closer to read the rest of the article.
New Minister of Magic Passes Law to Promote Marriage
At midnight the Matched Matrimony Law was officially documented and immediately put into effect. The law requires that all eligible witches and wizards aged seventeen to forty engage in Ministry approved matrimony by their specified deadline. Paperwork will be sent to all those affected later this week outlining each individuals options and responsibilities.
"This law is designed to ensure the continuation of the magical community. By matching candidates through our selection process this generation of wizards and witches will thrive in their approved matches," our new Minister of Magic, Pius Thicknesse, commented this morning.
It appears that all those eligible are placed into the selection process and matched with several possible partners. Once these partners are determined the first string of candidates will make their selection and (after asking their chosen partner) will announce the engagement to the Ministry.
There have been rumours flying around for weeks regarding the new Minister's first official act, and as a result there has been some backlash from the public. The head of Magical Law Enforcement had this to say:
"This law has been put into effect in order to better the magical community. We are in a time of great uncertainty and it is necessary that action is taken to protect our future interests. The implementation of this law is extremely well thought out and I encourage everyone to follow it precisely. In the best interests of all involved, a tracker (similar to the trace) has been put on all female candidates in order to ensure a magical future. Any eligible male or female caught avoiding the law will be sentenced to life in Azkaban."
By the time Hermione finished reading the article her lips were pursed in a grim line. Ginny looked disgusted, and Neville, like Hermione, was horrified at what they were about to go through.
"Just another way for them to control us," Ginny spat, folding up the paper and discarding it.
"Life in Azkaban seems a little harsh," Neville commented. "They are making it so obvious – he's taken over the Ministry."
"They are playing on everyone's fears," Ginny said. "Last time, Mum told me that everyone was getting married because they thought they weren't going to get another chance. Even with all the extra marriages there was still a huge shortage of wizards and witches because so many had been killed. Our lovely Ministry," she said sarcastically, "is reassuring the 'magical community' that they will protect our future."
Neville's face was grim as Hermione added, "I wouldn't be surprised if there is some fine print on that law requiring every couple to have a baby in the near future."
"So they are regulating who we marry only to guarantee that we have magical children," said Neville, "and so they can control those children."
They continued discussing the new law at length until Neville left for the loo. Luna had excused herself sometime previously, tired of all the talk about the Daily Prophet, which was much less reliable than the Quibbler, or so she said.
"You realize this is why they left without you," Ginny said once they were alone. Hermione looked up, startled; she had not expected Ginny to figure it out so quickly.
"I know, but it doesn't make me feel any better," Hermione replied sadly. "It's not going to be the same without them, and I'm so worried."
Ginny pulled out her robes and began to change. "I understand the worrying," Ginny said softly, "I knew Harry was leaving, but I'm still angry that he did and terrified that he won't come back." Tears were sliding down her face. Ginny did not usually cry, but Hermione was quite sure she had been holding back tears all day.
"At least we have each other," Hermione said, moving to embrace Ginny. Hearing Ginny talk about Harry made Hermione think about her own feelings about Ron and her eyes stung with unshed tears. After a moment Ginny pulled away and dried her eyes. Neville came back a few moments later and the trio was silent as the train pulled into the Hogsmeade station.
The castle loomed over Hermione, but it was not the same safe home she had remembered. The carriages were cluttered in the pathway and Neville had peaked out earlier confirming that they were doing security checks. Hermione shivered and pulled her cloak around her more tightly. It was cold for a September evening and the presence of Dementors at the gates added to Hermione's chill.
Hogwarts seemed as massive as ever, but the feeling of awe that Hermione once felt had been replaced with a sense of foreboding. She could hear the Ministry officials interrogating each student as they entered the threshold and the sounds of trunks being opened, hastily searched, then closed repeatedly. Almost fifteen minutes later their carriage reached the gates.
Even the Thestrals seemed to sense the change in atmosphere. As soon as they were cut free of the carriage they flew off into the distance and Hermione wondered if they would return. Before long she was being searched with a Sensory Stick and sent to an available official. Hermione approached the man quickly. He was tall and broad with shaggy brown hair and a scraggly beard.
"Name?" He barked.
"Hermione Granger."
"Age?"
"I'm 17."
"School house?"
"Gryffindor."
"Blood Status?"
"Excuse me?" Hermione asked in surprise. The man looked at her suspiciously.
"Pureblood, halfblood, mudbl-"
"I am a Muggle-born," Hermione said stiffly, glaring at the man and inspecting his Ministry label. It read: Vladimir Maltor – Student Status Inspector.
He glared at her for another moment before looking over her paper again. She watched as the lines next to her moved ahead, but he seemed in no hurry. Hermione was sure he was looking for a reason to hold her back, but after several moments of staring at the paper, he gave up and grunted: "Proceed."
Hermione hurried to meet up with Ginny and Neville, who experienced slightly less trouble than she did. "You should have seen the look he gave me when I said my last name was Weasley," said Ginny grimly. "They know most of my family is in the Order, but they don't have any proof."
"They didn't give me much trouble once I said I was a pureblood," Neville said quietly.
"I had a feeling it was going to be like that," Hermione sighed. By the time they were in the entrance hall there was already a small gathering of students waiting to enter the Great Hall.
"Why aren't the doors open yet?" Ginny asked curiously, straining to see above the crowd. Everyone seemed to be asking the same question as they tried to see what was preventing them from entering. After a few moments the doors flew open and a crew of wizards exited. They walked in a close-knit V formation with their wands drawn and at the ready. They all wore the same dark blue Ministry official robes with a large M.O.M written in white across the back.
"Those are security wizards," Ginny whispered, as they passed, "They never do any work inside of Hogwarts." The girls shared a look, and the entrance hall erupted into whispers and anxious conversation.
"Everyone into the Great Hall," the familiar voice of Professor McGonagall called, "let's not crowd the Entrance Hall. There are still more students coming in."
"I didn't think the Mudblood could look any worse, but I was clearly wrong," Pansy Parkinson stage whispered as she crossed them. Hermione ignored her, used Pansy's unintelligible insults.
"Parkinson," Ginny snapped, "No one wants to hear that annoying voice, especially when you are just repeating insults that you have used for the past six years."
Pansy turned her glare to Ginny. Hermione looked over at the group, and saw that, as usual, Pansy was accompanied by Blaise, Crabbe, Goyle, and Malfoy. Perfect. Just what Hermione needed on a bad day.
"Well, I wouldn't have to use the same insults if she stopped being such an eye-sore," Pansy replied. "Oh, but look! Did you actually attempt to tame that mess you call hair?" The boys laughed cruelly at this, noticing Hermione's some-what less bushy hair. But Hermione noticed that Malfoy did not join in and marked it as odd.
Ginny made some retort, but Hermione did not notice. She was watching Malfoy as his eyes scanned the crowd and she knew he was searching for Harry and Ron. All of a sudden Hermione realized that she had not seen Malfoy since the night Dumbledore died. Her heart ached at the loss of her headmaster and was horrified at how close Malfoy had been to becoming a murderer. He looked sickly still, she noted, there were bags under his eyes and he was paler than ever. His eyes met hers and her stomach dropped, waiting for him to make a comment about Harry and Ron leaving her. But he never did, he just raised his eyebrow questioning her silently. Hermione hardened her stare and refused to look away, knowing it was a petty game.
"You've just got your knickers in a twist because your boyfriend ran off with your brother," Pansy said shrilly, causing Hermione to pull her eyes away from Malfoy.
"Parkinson, SHUT UP!" Ginny finally bellowed, causing several people to stare, but Ginny ignored them. "We are all sick of hearing your annoying voice. Even Malfoy looks sick of you."
Hermione's eyes flew back to him, and sure enough, he was glaring at Pansy. Her eyes were downcast as he turned his gaze away from her and scoffed. Hermione chose this moment to grab Ginny and flee into the Great Hall. Her mind buzzing about why Malfoy would not want anything said about Harry's absence.
Ginny was still fuming as they walked towards the Gryffindor table. As they were sitting down Hermione's eyes were drawn to the staff table. It was emptier than usual. Hermione noticed Hagrid's obvious absence, there was no new Defense Against the Dark Arts teach in sight, and Snape's seat was mysteriously empty.
"Relax Ginny, Parkinson's a prat, and she's not worth any of your time," Hermione consoled her friend sadly. At the moment, Ginny was acting just like Ron and her temper was attracting stares. Ginny sighed and tore her angry gaze away from the Slytherin table, letting it land on Hermione.
"She was right about one thing though, your hair does look nice today, Hermione. Did you do something to it?" Ginny asked not unkindly, but Hermione blushed furiously.
"I forgot to brush it," she said through gritted teeth.
Ginny's eyes widened and she could not stifle her laughter.
"It is not funny!"
"It really is," Ginny responded still laughing, "you should forget to brush it more often."
The doors to the Great Hall swung open again, and a small selection of students approached the front of the hall where Professor McGonagall was waiting with the Sorting Hat. There were about thirty students in total and for a moment Hermione was surprised that so many parents allowed their children to go until she remembered the punishment for escaping the marriage law. If they were willing to throw people in prison for trying to avoid that, they would definitely punish parents not sending their children to Hogwarts.
The sorting was enjoyable as usual, despite the Sorting Hat's continued warnings to unite from within. Hermione cheered for each new Gryffindor while pondering the possibility of unity within the school. Once the Sorting Hat was carried from the hall the feast began, and so did the rumors. Hermione already saw people pointing in her direction, asking where the famous Harry Potter was now that they needed him most. But not all things said were bad. During pudding Ernie MacMillan wandered to their table.
"I see Harry has not returned this year," he said solemnly. "He is a fine chap. I would be out there, too, but I prefer to fight my battles at Hogwarts."
He left it at that and Dean Thomas leaned over and whispered: "That's because his mother told him that if they Ministry arrested him she was disowning him."
"Don't tell me she is supporting them?" Ginny snapped.
"No, she just said he had to pick his battles," Seamus added, "that's what me m'am told me. She didn't want me comin' back at first, but she'd rather me be unsafe here, than thrown into Azkaban."
The puddings soon disappeared and the students were left to stare at Professor McGonagall and await her first welcoming speech.
"Welcome back everyone," she started, obviously trying to keep a cheerful tone. "First years should note that the Forbidden Forest is strictly out of bounds. This year changes are being made at Hogwarts, however I want to assure you that every student will always be safe within these walls, and your education will not be harmed or interrupted by these changes-"
"Too bad, I wouldn't mind something interrupting History of Magic," Dean said quietly.
"Or Potions," Neville added glumly.
"I thought you stopped taking Potions, Neville?" Hermione asked.
"Didn't you see your booklist? We have to continue all the core courses even if our O.W.L scores weren't high enough and now I'm behind a year," he whispered back.
Hermione never read her booklist. She, Harry, and Ron just gave it to Mrs. Weasley because no one else was going to Diagon Alley. Hermione did not even bother to look at the books because she was too busy preparing for their journey.
"I know many of you have shown, uh, interest regarding the new Matched Matrimony Law," Professor McGonagall continued. "I have been instructed, along with the other Heads of House, to assist in the matching process by holding a meeting with the seventh years in our respective houses. If you have any questions feel free to ask myself or another staff member. I must emphasize the importance of cooperating with the Ministry's requests as the consequences for breaking this particular law are severe."
"I was wondering when she would bring that daft law up," Ginny said, "It makes me so angry. I can't believe they are putting a trace on all women. It is so unfair that men don't have one too!"
"They are basically controlling our love lives, and that's what you complain about," asked Lavender disbelievingly.
"Well, yeah," replied Ginny coolly, "the guys could make a run for it, if they wanted to. Sure there is a risk of getting caught and thrown into Azkaban, but we have no hope at all." The other girls nodded miserably, and no one bothered to point out that Ginny was still underage, if only for a while longer.
"While there have been many rumours about the school closing down, I would like to reassure you all that Hogwarts will remain open as long as there are students willing to learn and teachers able to teach them," Professor McGonagall added.
A fresh round of whispers broke out after this. The rumours were true then, Hermione realized. All summer the Ministry had been pushing to take over Hogwarts and of course the Death Eaters wanted their share of it, too. It was a miracle that the school was up and running considering all of the 'negotiating' that took place. Hermione couldn't help but wonder who the Ministry had appointed as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.
"Lastly, it seems that our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher has not arrived yet," Professor McGonagall announced, through tight lips. She looked furious now.
"Though I am pleased," she paused here, and even the youngest students could tell this aspect of her speech was scripted, "to announce that Dolores Umbridge will be returning to Hogwarts to refill her previous post."
The whispers stopped, and were replaced with voices, loud, angry voices.
"NOT THE TOAD!" Seamus hollered, creating laughter amongst the general uproar.
"She can't be serious," Ginny said, completely astounded by the news.
"I don't think she would make jokes about something quite as terrible as Umbridge," Hermione replied seriously.
The hall had just quieted down, when the doors sprang open again. There stood Dolores Umbridge, flanked on each side by a Ministry of Magic security wizard. Silence fell over the crowd.
"Hem, Hem."
Coming Up in Till Death Do Us Part:
Draco's only consolation was that his misery would be short-lived. She would never align herself with Death Eaters, and he would be unable to fulfill his orders. If things went as Draco expected, they would both be dead long before the end of the war.