Hermione arrived a day early at Hogwarts via the portkey she had been using all summer. She had worked hard amongst the restoration crew and only felt slightly guilty about abusing her privilege and skipping the train ride. She had no desire to sit for several hours amongst her peers and discuss this disastrous mandate the ministry had passed. Even now, a full two days after the law had been published, she was still in a state of shock about it.
A marriage law designed to force Purebloods and Muggle-borns to marry and procreate just seemed too farfetched to be be real. Even with as backwards and antiquated as the ministry's laws and policies were, this was extreme. The penalties were even more unbelievable. Either comply or abjure your magic. She'd be willing to go to prison, do hard labor, be fined. But give up her magic? Be obliviated and turned loose among the muggles with no idea about who she really was? A fate worse than death.
Just thinking about it had her blood boiling as she made her way to the newly refurbished library. She was smartly dressed in her school robes, mourning a bit the loss of her prefect badge. As a repeating 7th year student she was not eligible to be a prefect, or Head Girl. She felt a little sad about it, but she had learned last year that there were more important things than school and grades and awards. Still, she had wanted to be Head Girl.
The boys were joining her later. Harry and Ron had gone to the ministry to put a bride price down for her. A disgusting clause of the law allowed suitors to bid for her like a piece of meat. It made her sick, but Ron was Pureblood so they might as well get it over with. Doing the paperwork early to be in compliance with the law meant they could put all their focus on getting it repealed. Thank God she had someone to bid on her. She could just imagine being some young muggleborn trying to get a pureblood boy to agree to wed her so she could stay in the wizarding world. Disgusting!
Nonetheless, her schedule was full, and she had enough to be getting on with on figuring out how to go about getting a law repealed. She'd already contacted the Order of the Phoenix, half the Wizengamot, and every person of influence she was acquainted with. They were shockingly unhelpful.
It was painfully clear that if she was going to tackle this law she was on her own. So it was research time. The Hogwarts book collection outshone her own by leagues even after the damage from last year. So, she set about finding relevant texts and articles.
It was after eleven when the boys joined her.
She looked up from her bullet pointed list, making sure that every clause and sanction in the law was carefully outlined. She had two other lists, one with possible legal refutes for individual clauses, and one with practical concerns about implementation. The Ministry was often sorely woeful when it came to loopholes and abuses of their current laws.
The look on Ron's face had her coming to her feet and grasping her wand. Harry was just as ashen, and she knew something awful had happened. Something much worse than this law. She came around the table on tottering legs, making it several steps before she was able to gasp out a question.
"You might want to sit back down," Harry said softly as Ron just shook his head, his eyes even bluer with the sheen of wetness from held back tears.
"What! What is it?" Hermione almost shouted, spiraling down into panic with no apparent enemy to keep her focus.
"It's your bride price Hermione. It's already so high that I don't think I have enough to cover it," Harry continued, his voice soft and soothing. Hermione blinked at him, not really understanding. "You are at the very top of the list, leagues ahead of any other Muggle-born Witch. The price is high and climbing."
She sank into a random chair behind her slowly. This didn't make any sense at all. She was hardly bid worthy. She had assumed Ron would be her only suitor. It wasn't like Wizards were beating her door down demanding dates. And everyone knew she was dating Ron. She didn't have much going on other than being reasonably clever. Why on earth would there be such high bidding on her?
"Death Eaters?" She whispered, her worst fears coming to fruition on the very first day. The only thing she could think of to cause this was Voldemort supporters wanting to get access to her. How could the Ministry allow this? How could they be so short-sighted and stupid?
"The bids are anonymous," Harry said rolling his eyes as he slid out another chair and sat opposite her. "Which of course means everyone knows. The word at the Ministry is that the Malfoy's have declared they will outbid anyone who puts your name down."
"But that doesn't make any sense!" Hermione snapped, temper rising. "I testified for them. We all did! They surely can't be mad that we didn't testify for Lucius as well! He belongs in Azkaban. Why those slimy, inbred,…"
"Maybe they think they are doing you a favor." Ron finally spoke up. His voice was soft and his face was as ashen as she had ever seen it. "Some of the families who are bidding on you are pretty nasty. We've been there watching all morning. The Carrows were furious when they were outbid. They have a male cousin who didn't get arrested that is eligible. The Dolohovs, the McNairs. Old families. Lots of money and power."
Hermione gaped at him, surprised, and she watched as one tear escaped his long black lashes and wet a cheek. He took another wet breath and went on. "I don't know what to do to help you. I hate being grateful to the damn Malfoys for anything, but I don't know what else anyone can do but outbid these people."
Speak of the devil. The door to the library opened and Hermione turned expectantly. The regular students were not there yet so she expected a teacher. She should have known that rules wouldn't apply to Draco Malfoy. He strode in confidently, just as arrogant as she had last seen him, at his trial. He was dressed predictably, head to toe in black, shiny shoes clicking smartly as he strode up to them.
He tossed several folders on the table next to her and took a seat amongst them as if he was a long-time friend instead of someone who had never in their life sat at the same table.
Speechless, Hermione gathered up the folders and began to look through them just to have somewhere to look other than at Draco Malfoy.
"What's all this?" She asked.
"Copy of the contract, so you can sign the damn thing before this bidding war ends up leaving me destitute. Contact information for all the lawyers the Malfoys have on retainer, completely at your disposal. All the private research done on the law and its loopholes so far. A list of officials who are vulnerable to pressure from us. A list of obscure laws that apply to my family specifically." He drawled off as if listing the ingredients to bran muffins and Hermione couldn't help but stare at him, her mouth slightly open.
"My mother has made an appointment for you with Almond Dippant," Malfoy motioned to the folder on top, meticulously labeled Almond Dippant. "He's a well-respected Muggle-born attorney. We've never used him before so there is no conflict of interest to have him go over the contract and represent your estate. She's offered to go with you, if you don't have anyone else."
His eyes were as cold and clear as she had ever seen them. If he was the least bit upset to be discussing a marriage contract between the two of them it certainly didn't show, at all. "I don't have an estate," she said stupidly and was rewarded with an eye roll that conveyed several paragraphs worth of his thoughts on the subject.
He sneered at her a bit, glanced at her two friends who were also standing there stupidly silent, and went on. "How much progress have you lot made on getting us out of this ridiculous Marriage Law?"
"You bid on me," Hermione couldn't wrap her head around it. "You are bidding on me. Like chattel."
"Come on Granger! I didn't write the damn law." He snapped, slamming a hand on the table so hard it made her jump in her skin. "Go snipe at the Ministry about your human rights if you're sore about it. I need you to get your head on straight. Quit being all emotional and useless and tell me what you need from us to get this law repealed."
She sure as hell didn't want Malfoy for a husband, but she'd take him for an ally. Seeing as how they were so thin on the ground right now. She closed her mouth with a snap and looked down at the folders. "All right. I need to go through all this stuff and finish up my own preliminary research. We can all meet back here at 2:00 tomorrow."
"Your appointment with the lawyer is at 10:00 AM. Don't be late." Malfoy said, getting the last word as he stood. She ought to protest, say something to the effect that she wasn't going, but he was already leaving and she refused to chase after him. Instead she watched him strut out of the library, all suave confidence, as smoothly as he had strutted in. She turned to her friends, finding the same amazed look stamped on both of their faces, before opening the first folder.