Chapter 2: Wizard Say Whaa–?

Hermione Granger could usually call herself lucky, but not today. She had spent her entire day in her office dealing with calls from angry witches and wizards. This damn marriage law was sure to ruin her life, but her career was certainly booming. Hermione dealt with the Ministry of Magic Department of Rights and Legal Services of Magic Beings. In muggle terms, she was an attorney. She knew she could have gotten a high position at Hogwarts teaching, she could have been an awesome auror. Hell, she could have done anything she wanted and made a lot of money doing it; but she chose a career in the life of arguments.

She hated that she couldn't do anything legally to save her own ass and she had to decline every client that called to sue the ministry. She offered her condolences but assured them she was in the same boat and was looking for a way out. Unfortunately, the law was air-tight. The only way out of this was if she got married and her husband abused her. Abuse is a vague word. I could just wait for the first time 'Mud-blood' pops out of his mouth. It is verbal abuse after all. However… what if they repaired me with an even worse guy? This is so shitty. Hermione argued in her head. Not a single loophole could be spotted and she would be randomly assigned a partner based on the four personality profiles she liked best – out of, quite literally, fifty-seven.

She hated the anonymous survey, and hated the completely vague and most likely bullshitted profiles she was given even more than that. She would at least like to see what the prospective looked like … but she figured that was to prevent shallow marriages. Sure, a lot of people would have only taken hot guys (and she was sure in some cases that was their only hope of bagging a hot guy), but Hermione Jean Granger was no shallow, gold digging, whore. She would not lower herself to someone for convenience. Dammit she was going to find someone she could at least get along with. They had to raise a kid together.

Knock knock knock…

"Enter." Hermione was about ready to tell someone to just put the wand to her temple and avada her. Just as luck would have it, the person on the other side of that door would have liked to do nothing better.

"Mud-blood." Draco Malfoy strode in, plopping himself in a chair and propping his feet on her desk.

"That's Attorney Granger to you, Malfoy. What can I do for you?" She pushed his feet off her desk, scowling at him. His mother must have raised him in a barn.

"I'm sure you're getting complaints out the ass about this new marriage ordinance."

"I am, and as you can see, I am very busy. So if you don't have anything more important to do than wasting my valuable – and expensive time – kindly remove yourself from my office before I gladly have you escorted back to your own."

"Now, now. That's no way to address your superiors." True enough, Draco worked for the Ministry of Magic in the Department of Dark Magic and Artifacts History and Analysis. His position in his department was lower than hers; but his department was above hers seeing as she catered to the public and he exclusively to the ministry. Thus, he was valued more in the department hierarchy than she.

"Malfoy, I am very busy. What do you – agg hold on." She turned to answer the phone that was nagging in her ear, interrupting her. "Department of Rights and Legal Services, Attorney Granger speaking, how may I help you?" There was a pause as she tilted her head back and pinched the bridge of her nose. "No, I'm sorry ma'am. The ordinance is air-tight and I have yet to find a loophole... You can divorce on the sole condition of proven abuse, but you will just be reassigned... Yes, I understand… I've very sorry to hear that… Yes ma'am… If you'd like to be placed on a list, I can notify you if any changes occur... Yes ma'am. Thank you very much for calling." She hung up the phone and scribbled some notes down in a large spiral notebook. She looked up once she was done and was about to speak when the phone rang. She held up her finger to Draco and moved to pick up the receiver; but Draco was faster.

"Department of Magical Law, Attorney Granger is currently not available, please call back again later. Thank you." Without giving the person a chance to respond, he hung up the receiver and put her phone on forward, sending all calls to the frazzled secretary out front.

"Granger, I need you to draw me up some loopholes to this law."

"Malfoy, I would love to, but as you can see," She gestured to the large notebook, "A lot of people are looking for a way out and I just can't find one."

"You can find one for an old friend." He gave that irritating smirk that Hermione had always just wanted to slap clear off his face. He knew she could hear the sarcasm and venom drippingfrom his voice on the last word, which made her expression even more gratifying to his efforts.

"Look, I'd rather see you miserable for everything you've done to me so don't ever use you and I together in the same sentence. Two, I can't find a loophole for myself, let alone anyone else. If it's so important for you to not marry out of pure, then go throwing your money around like usual and get out of my office."

"They denied a bribe. I can't marry a mud-blood. I would never touch one."

"I should have known you'd try a bribe first." Hemione muttered it more to herself than for him, but he heard all the same. "Its attitudes like this that made this law come into place, Malfoy. You have no one to blame but your own kind."

"How very segregate of you, Granger."

"You segregated yourself. Now kindly leave."

"I am not leaving until you get me out of this marriage with a mudblood."

"My hands are tied, and you probably need to marry one. It might teach you that we bleed the same color." She returned her phone to normal and began answering the never ending calls, ignoring the blond that sat determinedly in the chair opposite her.

She didn't know how long he sat there, but he was there when it was time for her to clock out. "Malfoy, go home."

"Not until you get me out of this. I'm tired of sorting these damned profiles."

"You have to sort them too?"

"Anyone who accepted my profile has theirs sent to me and I choose if it's compatible to me. None of them are of course, so I pretend like I'd ever marry one of those mudbloods."

"Oh really? Well good luck."

"Granger, I still have two months until my deadline."

"Lucky you. Get married before you get assigned."

"I can't. See, the ministry negated my engagement; said it wasn't void due to us not filing for the license yet."

"Sucks for you. It's not my problem though."

"I'll pay."

"You're damn right you would… if I'd help. But I won't. So… have a pleasant evening, Malfoy." She felt a little better seeing him in so much distress, but it hardly distracted her from her own issues. Tomorrow she'd find out who she was being assigned to.

A/N::

Sorry guys, I gotta go to class now =) I hope you enjoyed this short chapter. Tell me what you think of it. I may change it a little, but for now this is what I've got. REVIEWS ARE LOVE ^_^