Once again, Dobby delivered a note to Hermione. That was how Hermione found herself in the Headmistress' office for the second day in a row. Except this time it was for matters entirely out of Hermione's control.

The look on Minerva McGonagall's face was one of worry, sadness, and pity. Hermione supposed they were going to talk about the new marriage law.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione." Hermione shrugged, knowing the old witch couldn't do anything to change the law.

"I'll be okay," Hermione stated, smiling at her favorite professor. McGonagall smiled back, but there was a tinge of sadness to it. Hermione was determined to put on a brave face. She'd fought dark wizards, for goodness sake!

"Has Ron proposed?" McGonagall asked, a curious expression on her face. Hermione wanted to laugh. Ron still didn't know about the damn law. He'd lost concern for her feelings and life a long time ago.

"He doesn't know about the law. He's been wrapped up in his own world lately," Hermione explained, trying not to paint Ron as a bad boyfriend in front of the Headmistress. McGonagall rolled her eyes, apparently not surprised by the news.

"Kinglsey owled me a copy of the detailed rules and he highlighted ones of importance in regards to your status. He suggests we avoid ministry arrangements, out of fear you might be placed with a dark wizard. He also suggested we find a young wizard, one who would be capable of protecting you from anything."

"Does that place Ron out of the possible options?" Hermione asked, earning a laugh from McGonagall. Well, Hermione figured Ron had fought dark wizards right beside her. But he still had a tendency to be clueless.

"No, dear. He'll do just fine. "

Hermione assured the Headmistress she wasn't terribly afraid and that she was going to survive the situation. She wasn't a breakable witch like that stupid Lavender Brown.


Later that evening Hermione was slowly walking to the Room of Requirement. Harry had informed her that Ron was waiting for her, but Harry wouldn't tell her why.

She had a feeling she knew what Ron had planned. She'd been thinking it over as she'd walked through the castle, and she still hadn't reached an answer.

Hermione gasped when she accidentally walked into a wall of solid muscle. She looked up into Charlie Weasley's blue eyes. His hand reached out to steady her.

"What do you want?" Hermione immediately snapped, glaring at him. Mischief sparkled in his eyes.

"I was hoping to run into you before you met with Ron. I want to clear the air a bit. Don't let our... mistake change your relationship with Ron. Especially with this new law and everything." Charlie said as he shoved his hands in the pockets of his ragged jeans as he waited for some kind of reaction from her.

Hermione narrowed her eyes. How dare he? They'd agreed to forget about that and keep it a secret between the two of them. Or rather, Hermione had decided that would be their plan of action.

"Charlie Weasley, I don't even know what you're talking about." Now Charlie narrowed his eyes at her. Oh, so she hit a nerve? He always seemed to be pushing her buttons, not the other way around.

Charlie opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by Ron. Sometime during their conversation they'd moved closer to each other. Her arms were crossed and brushing against his flat chest.

"What's going on?" Ron asked with his head popping out from behind the door, looking at them with a curious expression on his face.

"Nothing important. She's all yours," Charlie said, winking at his brother and walking away. Ron grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her into the Room of Requirement.

Hermione's mouth dropped open in shock at the sight in front of her.

The room was covered with red roses. There were two roses in a vase on a table which sat in the center of the room.

As she watched the candle on the table ignited. There was a delicious smelling dinner prepared for her, obviously by someone other than Ron. Ron only knew how to burn food.

Ron smiled at her and led her to the table. He pulled out her chair, and pushed it in after she sat down.

Hermione was fighting the urge to cry. Never would she have thought Ronald Weasley could be so romantic. The little blue box sitting above her plate caught her attention.

"Well, you might as well open it now." Ron said, sitting down in the chair across from her.

With a shaky hand, Hermione reached out and grasped the box. A tear slid down her cheek as she stared at the box.

Taking a deep breath, Hermione gathered enough courage to open the box. The most beautiful ring was inside. It was elegant, but not overly showy and dramatic.

"Hermione, I've always been in love with you. Ever since I first met you. I might have been a prat about the whole thing, but I've finally figured it out. I don't want you to think I'm just proposing due to that dumb law. It did push me to finally ask you, but the ring has been burning a hole in my pocket for a few weeks. I wanted to wait until the perfect moment, until I realized I was just waiting time."

Hermione couldn't help it; tears fell down her cheeks. She looked at Ron and saw only love in his gaze.

Hermione felt like a horrible person. She loved Ron, she truly did. But she wasn't ready to marry him. That was probably why this proposal hurt so much. She didn't want to jump to any conclusions though now that the Marriage Law was in place to ruin her future.

"I love you, Ron. I truly do. But I need some time to think about this before I say yes. I don't want to say yes, and then change my mind." Ron's smile melted as Hermione's words sunk in.

"'Mione, is there someone else?" Ron asked, his question almost a whisper.

So, Hermione did what most sane witches would have done in her situation. She lied.


That night, Hermione found comfort in bottles of Firewhiskey, all of which she'd confiscated from fellow students.

Hermione felt miserable with herself. She hated to admit what she truly felt, which didn't work in anybody's favor.

Hermione Granger had stopped loving Ronald Weasley months ago. She just didn't have the courage to break up with him. Hermione Granger, the young witch that had fought off evil wizards, was afraid to break up with someone.

Oh! Hermione had forgotten to do her rounds. Unsteady on her feet, Hermione left the Gryffindor section of the castle in search of hoodlums.

Hermione was actually hoping she wouldn't run into anyone. But she couldn't skip out on her job. Feeling woozy, Hermione leaned against the cold wall. These hallways were all empty. Anyone that was causing trouble knew how to hide themselves.

"Hermione," a familiar voice whispered and Hermione felt heat when a hand was placed on her shoulder.

Hermione opened her eyes and found Charlie Weasley standing next to her, looking concerned.

"Charlie," Hermione breathed, turning her face towards his. She noticed him wince in reaction.

"'Mione, who do I need to curse?" Hermione smiled at Charlie's question. He was willing to go after the person that had pushed her to getting drunk. He not only cared about how she felt but he noticed her mood changes, too.

"Ronniekins," Hermione growled, glaring at Charlie for his association with Ron.

Hermione felt herself sliding down the wall, unable to stand on her own feet. Her eyes closed in exhaustion.


The next morning, Hermione woke with a pounding headache. She was also in an unfamiliar room. Again. She was really hoping this wasn't going to turn into a habit.

She closed her eyes when the events of yesterday flooded her memory. Ronald Weasley had proposed to her and stupid Ministry of Magic was forcing her to get married. She was facing years of possible torture and misfortune all because she was a Muggle.

Taking deep breaths to calm her nerves, Hermione felt brave enough to look around the room.

She groaned when she noticed an elaborate painting of dragons on the wall. What was it about this man that lowered her inhibitions?

At least she was still wearing her clothes. That was a good sign and an improvement over their last sleepover debacle.

However, she did feel a strange prickling on her lower back, approximately where her tattoo happened to be. The kind of heat that she felt whenever Charlie was touching her, looking at her or even in the same room.

Starting to get a little overheated, Hermione threw off the covers that had clearly been made by Mrs. Weasley. The crimson comforter featured a huge, gold C.

Hermione stilled when she heard a shower turn off. She hadn't even noticed that someone had been showering in the connected bathroom.

Now was her chance to leave without awkward conversation! She grabbed her shoes, which were neatly placed beside the bed, and ran for the door.

"Hermione." The silky voice made her stop with her hand on the doorknob. So close. Hermione sighed and turned to face the man that had become the star of her thoughts lately.

Her eyes focused on the half-naked man who was standing his bed. Charlie Weasley was extremely muscular, more so than Ron and Harry. He had several scars running diagonally across his chest, scars that she hadn't noticed on their night together. Well, she might have noticed them then, but she'd most certainly forgotten about them.

"Where're you going?" Charlie asked with a smirk on his face. He knew exactly why she was in such a hurry to leave.

He turned and walked to his dresser, his back to Hermione. Her mouth dropped open when she noticed his tattoo.

Charlie Weasley, perhaps the most-manly man Hermione knew, had a tattoo of an otter's face on his shoulder blade. She'd managed to forget about that, too. He also had a splattering of other tattoos on chest and arms.

Charlie looked over his shoulder at her, probably wondering why she hadn't answered him.

"Do you know why I have an otter tattoo, Hermione?" Charlie asked, turning to face her. He kept his eyes on her as he pulled a blue dress shirt out of his dresser.

"It's my Patronus," Hermione answered, unable to meet his gaze. She noticed that his rooms were slightly cluttered and messy, but by no means a pigsty.

"A cute, feminine little reminder of our one night stand," Charlie muttered, focusing his attention on buttoning his shirt. Blue was a good color on him, Hermione decided. He rolled up his sleeves so they hit just below his elbows.

"You can always glamour it, you know. Nobody would see it."

"Thank you, Miss Granger. That hadn't occurred to me." Charlie answered, his tone as if she'd just answered a question in his lecture.

Speaking of... she was going to be very late to class. Defense was their first class of the day, though.

"I'm going to be late to class. I'll be there as soon as I can," Hermione explained quickly, before running out of the room without so much as a thank you or goodbye.

As she hurried back to her room, Hermione remembered waking up once in the middle of the night. Arms had been wrapped around her, her back pressed against a muscular chest. The heat had warmed her and for some reason, she remembered feeling safe. She'd assumed it was Ron, and went back to sleep.

She was only ten minutes late to Defense, since she'd run down the hallways.

Charlie didn't say anything as she found her way to her seat. Harry smiled at her, but Ron looked utterly confused. Hermione Granger was never late to class!

"Yes, Pansy?" Charlie asked, leaning against his desk. His arms were crossed, and he didn't look too happy. He also looked rather impatient.

"Aren't you going to take away house points for Granger being late? She didn't even give you an explanation or apology." Pansy Parkinson's voice carried across the room, making Hermione cringe. She hated Pansy's voice. It was almost like fingernails on a chalkboard.

"This is her first time being late, Ms. Parkinson. You, on the other hand, have been late to lecture every single day." Charlie responded, raising an eyebrow as he looked at the Slytherin.

"Open your books to page 356, and we'll start discussing underwater battles." Charlie went on with lecture, as if Hermione hadn't even been late.


Later that evening Hermione and Ron found themselves in the Headmistress' chambers. She had accepted Ron's proposal, knowing she might not be happy with Ron forever. The Headmistress had put emphasis on being aware of Hermione's steps towards completing this process.

But Hermione was running out of time and she wasn't about to break the poor kid's heart. She wasn't a heartbreaker like that dumb Lavender Brown.

Kingsley Shaklebolt was here, too. He had previously searched through Hermione and Ron's records, making sure they were legally allowed to marry each other. He'd be telling them the results of their research at the meeting. He would also sign off on their marriage paperwork, making their union almost official.

All they needed to do after that was have an official ceremony, and they'd be Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Weasley. Her mother would kill her if she kept her maiden name, but Hermione supposed the Ronald attached to the Weasley was the only part of the name that bothered her.

"I have some bad news..." Kingsley stated, frowning and looking at his paperwork. Hermione narrowed her eyes, wondering what the Ministry was going to throw at her now.

"Well, get on with it!" Hermione demanded, nearly jumping out of the chair she was seated in. She forgot she was talking to the Minister. She instantly corrected her posture and smiled at him, but the Minister didn't seem bothered by her rude outburst.

"You're already bound to another wizard," Kingsley said calmly and looking in her eyes as he delivered the bad news.

Hermione jumped from her seat, outraged.

"What? Has the Ministry promised me to another wizard without my knowledge? I'm still within the grace period." They had generously given her a week to find her own husband so to avoid the proposals that would come from available wizards.

"No, Ms. Granger. This occurred without Ministry interference and even prior to our reinstating the Marriage Law. It was your own choice to bind yourself to this man."

Hermione had no clue what Kingsley was talking about. She made the mistake of looking at Ron. His face had turned white and he was gripping the armrests of his chair. Rage burned in his eyes as he stared at her.

"Surely there's been a mistake! Hermione and I have been dating for over a year now," Ron growled as he glared at everyone in the room.

"Is this wizard at Hogwarts, Kingsley?" McGonagall asked, worry in her voice. She was also keeping an eye Ron at the same time.

Kingsley examined his paperwork, apparently searching for the wizard's name. He nodded at McGonagall before looking at Hermione, who was still extremely confused.

"Let's get the boy in here, then. What is his name?" McGonagall asked, rising from her chair and calling for an Elf.

"Er, the young man's name is Charlie Weasley."


Hermione was still seated in McGonagall's office, her legs crossed. Her foot was restlessly tapping on the ground. They were waiting for Charlie, who seemed to be taking his blasted sweet time getting to McGonagall's office. Surely he knew the way between his pranks at Hogwarts and their own meeting yesterday.

Dobby had taken Ron to the infirmary, as Ron had passed out from Kingsley's news. Hermione had tried to go with him and escape the potential awkwardness, but McGonagall nixed that idea immediately.

Hermione was bound to Charlie Weasley. Wizards had weird laws and practices. Hermione, for once in her life, had no clue how to get herself out of this mess. She also didn't have much of a clue as to how she'd gotten herself in this mess in the first place.

"You needed my handsome self in your office, Headmistress?" Charlie asked, walking into McGonagall's office. Hermione rolled her eyes as McGonagall nodded before gesturing to the open seat beside Hermione. Kingsley was standing behind McGonagall's desk, going over that annoying stack of paperwork.

"Charlie, what do you know about Wizarding tattoos?" Kingsley asked, glancing at Hermione. Her hand shot up in the air and she was sure he'd expected that from the smile he gave her. Charlie, however, glared at her and rolled his eyes.

"They're completely permanent, unlike Muggle tattoos. They can't be removed by the Muggle process," Charlie responded cautiously. Kingsley glanced at Hermione's hand, which was still in the air, before speaking.

"When taken with a certain potion they become bonding tattoos. The potion bonds the woman to the man. They aren't necessarily marriage tattoos, but they are definitely permanent and have their own effects." Kingsley explained slowly, as if they were children struggling to keep up.

"So how does this keep me from marrying Ron? If I'm, as you put it, aren't necessarily marriage tattoos, I'm not officially bound to Charlie and I can still marry his brother." Hermione said, unsure about the whole thing. She was bound to Charlie, but she wasn't married to him. That was a different sort of problem.

"You don't want to marry Ron anyway," Charlie muttered quietly, but everyone in the room heard it. McGonagall scolded him as if he were a student.

"The tattoos were used in the old days and some families still believe in the magic tied to the ink. Usually the tattoos took on the form of a Patronous and were inked when a witch was promised to a wizard," Kingsley explained.

"So I'm engaged to Charlie, basically?" Hermione asked hopefully, raising an eyebrow. It was easy enough to break an engagement.

"Essentially, if we were just going by the spell and if the new law didn't exist. But In the original marriage law, the ministry honored binding behind the tattoos. Upon discussing your situation with other officials, we've decided that Mr. Weasley, uh, Charlie, would be a better suited as a protector and a husband."

"I have to marry my little brother's girlfriend?" Charlie asked, as if the idea was ridiculous. Hermione didn't know whether or not she should be offended.

"Yes, Mr. Weasley. I realize this is an awkward situation, as her professor." Kingsley stated, as if that were the only reason why it was awkward.

Hermione got up and walked out of the meeting, simultaneously defying the authority of the Minister of Magic and the Headmistress of Hogwarts.