Chapter 10 Enacting the Verdict
The verdict was in favor of Granger's proposal, much to the relief of Draco. He knew there were still many witches and wizards who, because of their age, could afford to consider the alternative. Thankfully the majority of the Council saw the sense to choice over force, if not for the benefit of the younger generations than for their own self-preservation against an uprising to a passed marriage law. Although the Council conceded to Hermione's campaign proposal over their solution, the blow to the ego of many amongst the Wizengamot was made apparent through the provisions placed on the Voluntary Search for Compatible Partners campaign. The Ministry decided, based on Hermione's research, that the campaign would be enacted for eighteen months before an "evaluation of progress" would be assessed by the Council for reevaluation. If there were not positive results, quantified by a 30% increase in marriages and 10% increase in birthrates by the one-and-a-half year mark, then the Wizengamot would be allowed to create their own plan to increase population without debate from outside parties.
A further response was that the Wizengamot formed the Office of Magical Cultural Affairs to oversee the execution of the campaign in a blatant effort to prevent Granger from being in charge of her own plan. As a final show of fortitude against Kingsley's Ministry renovation, the Council wished to set an example to all future representatives who dare oppose a Wizengamot proposed law. As a passive aggressive move, they placed Granger's nemesis, Mr. Draco Lucius Malfoy as Head of the Office of Magical Cultural Affairs based on his desire to preserve magical customs (which he showcased in his detailed clauses and noble representation of the failed marriage law). Their underlying assumption was that Mr. Malfoy would sabotage the campaign.
Only four days after the proclamation from the Council, Draco marched into his Head Office on the newly built tenth floor. He appointed an Undersecretary to the Head of Magical Cultural Affairs, Data Clerk, and two Campaign Managers. His secret weapon was his consultant, with whom he would meet outside of the Ministry's watchful eye. With a team of five efficient witches and wizards, Draco was sure he would successfully achieve the goal set by the Council. His first task was to meet with the consultant.
Hermione, after a night of celebrating with Harry, Ron, and a black-eyed Ginny (she wore her Quidditch bruise with honor and had refused to use bruise removal paste), stumbled through the emerald green flames and walked out of her fireplace to enter her cozy cottage. Slightly inebriated and still euphoric, it took her a brief moment before she realized the tapping she heard was coming from her window and was not the beginning of a pounding headache. An intimidating pair of perfectly round pumpkin orange eyes glared at Hermione. She opened her window, but the eagle owl, be it from pride or annoyance of her tardiness, did not step in. Instead it delivered the intended message and clipped at her fingers before flying away. Hermione was too happy to allow a surly bird change her mood. She opened the letter. It read:
Granger, per your request, you may be a consultant to the VSCP campaign. Per my request, we always meet outside the Ministry. Your presence is necessitated tonight as I need to push the marketing campaign by five pm tomorrow. The attached is a portkey. Activate it soon; I have other plans tonight.
"Well, you didn't even bother signing your name, Malfoy. That's not a very classy move for a highly sophisticated pure-*hiccup* blood," Hermione criticized aloud to her empty room. She was a smart enough witch to know she needed a sip or two of her Wit-Sharpening Potion before portkeying to Malfoy.
Although it was not Malfoy Manor, she immediately recognized that she was in a rather luxurious dwelling. Malfoy approached her and said, "The sooner you stop gawking at my place, Granger, the sooner we can begin." She turned to him with a frown and sat on his sofa, rubbing her hands across its surface.
"What is this material? It's so soft."
"It's Hebridean Black hide, enchanted to bring out the more savage qualities of whomever sits upon it." Malfoy smirked at her, awaiting her reaction.
"You mean this sofa is made from dragon hide? Malfoy, I will have you reported to—"
"And that is exactly what I expected from you, Granger. Even your savage side is a prude." He walked over to a long Elmwood table. "Let's sit here. We have much to do. From what I understand, you have devised a sorting hat, much like Hogwarts to match us with compatible partners. Please elaborate."
Hermione ignored his "prude" comment for the greater purpose and moved to sit across from him. "Yes, well, when I had decided to become a Legilimens, I went to the library to research legilimancy further and I remembered reading from Hogwarts: A History that the sorting hat works like a Legilimens. I figured we could use a variation of the Hogwarts sorting hat to create an algorithm for matching people."
"Granger, you can't force a match. I thought you would know this," he commented sarcastically. "Our kind want to pick and choose just as much as Muggles."
"Just allow me to finish, Malfoy." She paused to see if he would obey. Draco bit his tongue and she continued, "There are slightly less than 1,000 single witches and wizards that can be matched. However, that changes when we dis-aggregate by preference. The sorting hat will be able to dis-aggregate for us."
They discussed anonymity among the witches and wizards to promote faster relationships through candidacy, and to prevent biases, especially between Hogwarts alumni of differing houses. Logistically, they mapped out the scheduling for the "Anonymity Hat" in which willing participants could have themselves assigned an anonymous name and owled a list of matches they could pursue whether for friendship or a possible relationship. The next phase would be ways in which witches and wizards could meet one another and it was threefold. Here, Draco noted, Granger had found ways to accelerate the dating process. It was quite clever, in his opinion. Their conversation remained on task for a good two hours before Granger departed his mansion via Floo Network.
Speaking with Granger was a phenomenon. She spoke with conviction, and without hidden agendas. It was something he was struggling to comprehend after decades of learning the art of manipulation. He often found himself searching her face for tells of another motive, but could find none. The longer they conversed, the more her passion and frankness confused him. More so, she never once brought up his inner turmoil that she had witnessed firsthand. Any of his friends would have jumped at the chance to blackmail or ridicule him with such knowledge. He grew up with hatred and prejudices, holding grudges and manipulating to get ahead, putting blood even before family. Granger was none of that. She campaigned for justice, fought for the defenseless, was loyal, and forgave with very little question. She was everything that he was not, and held all the qualities he never realized could exist in one person. By the early morning, after spending most of the night thinking of her, Draco incredulously admitted to himself that he coveted Hermione Granger.
Over the next month, 76% of the single witches and wizards of Great Britain partook in the Anonymity Hat Ceremony. The large turnout was mostly in part of the Golden Trio using their clout with the public to promote it. Although Harry and Ginny were as good as engaged, Harry saw the benefits of meeting new friends and spun the innocuous angle to the campaign. Ron, the eligible bachelor and favorite subject of Witch Weekly had pompously announced he would be participating in the process with the hope of finding his true love. His flirtatious smirk made the cover of all forms of media and overnight the campaign was a publicity success among witches hoping to snag Ron and wizards realizing the mass number of witches looking for love was in their favor. Hermione was the most reserved. She took a logical approach and interviewed with Sky Lee from the Daily Prophet outlining all the benefits of the campaign by finding support groups and meaning to life after so much loss from the war. She reiterated that the anonymity would only last as long as the participants determined, once trust in character was established. She was quoted saying, "By starting with anonymity, witches and wizards might be pleasantly surprised to find they have common core beliefs or experiences with someone they may have never even looked at twice." In the end, the Trio's three vastly different approaches touched a wide audience with fruitful results.
As outlined, the hat sorted the seven hundred plus witches and wizards and listed their available matches. Whether it be to make new friends or begin a romantic relationship was up to the partakers. By the start of the second month, Polyjuice Speed Dating was introduced. Seven nights with a little over one hundred witches and wizards each night met in the Great Ballroom (funding for the construction provided by the Office of Magical Cultural Affairs) in Diagon Alley where they took Polyjuice Potions plucked from Muggle hairs which reflected their current age. Any other similarity was highly coincidental. The participants, with permission, were politely hexed so they could not reveal their true identity. The purpose of the Polyjuice was to embolden conversations of substance over superficial flirting based on mutual attraction, as well as eliminate biases that would have existed otherwise had the parties involved known their true identities.
Hermione was one of the first to enter the Great Ballroom as her scheduled potion time was 6:45pm. Prior to entrance, she had glanced at her form in the mirror and could not stifle her laughter. She could not have selected a more opposite face and figure. Her hair was strawberry blonde, straight, tame and soft. The mirror reflected ocean blue eyes and pouty pink lips. Her bottom was twice its usual size and her breasts were equally well endowed. Upon spinning and giving her body a once over, she could not help but wonder if this was the Muggle's true form, or if Polyjuice Potion was able to replicate surgically enhanced procedures. She feared the purpose of the Polyjuice was ill advised if everyone looked like this.
Draco's potion time was the last round and took place at 7:15pm. Disappointment shown on his reflected face of fine blonde hair and green eyes with a slender athletic build. It was as if this Muggle was a Seeker. Aside from a more rounded face, it irked him to resemble his true form so closely, and only hoped others would not see through him. He entered the Great Ballroom and immediately scanned for Granger. It took a second before he realized he wasn't looking for a puff of brown hair. The whole concealment setup really would challenge his ability to cipher out his object.
Because Polyjuice Potion is time restrictive, around 7:30pm, after the hundred plus participants for the night had made their rounds and enjoyed hors d'oeuvres, the speed dating portion of the night commenced. The witches sat at a table and waited for a wizard to approach her for six five-minute rounds then would rotate and initiate the meetings while the wizards sat for an additional six five-minute rounds. (Same sex partnerships had its own reserved night.) By the end of the night, each witch and wizard would have conversed with a minimum of twelve others with a hopeful start to a budding relationship.
Hermione reluctantly sat and awaited her first wizard. He approached her with a hunger in his eyes and she knew this conversation would be doomed from the start. He seemed to have forgotten everyone had taken a Polyjuice Potion. Strike one, he was a dummy.
"Hello Beautiful. And what might your name be?" he tried to smile seductively.
"It's Amina. What's yours?" Hermione did not return the flirtation.
"It's B—" the wizard began coughing profusely and turning beet red.
Hermione quickly grabbed the Cough Potion on the table for him to swallow. "Here, drink this, it will negate the hex. Please remember not to use your true name."
He gratefully gulped it down and magically the cough disappeared. "Thanks, Love. Now where were we?" His eyes drifted downward to her chest. Hermione had never been a sexual object before. It was as off-putting as she had imagined it. "My name is B—" the coughing began again, but Hermione left him to what little wit he had to find the Cough Potion which was charmed to refill on the table. A bell chimed and Hermione found herself looking for an escape.
Six unsuccessful tries, and Draco sat brooding at his table. What would be the likelihood Granger would seek him? He knew a meeting between the two of them now would be nothing short of a miracle. He scowled through five "dates" and could not wait for the night to end.
A voluptuous blonde approached his table. "Hello, I'm Amina. By the look on your face, we have had similar experiences tonight, and I wouldn't mind sharing your gloomy mood with a taciturn conversation for the next five minutes." The witch had a seductive body and he wondered how much of it was transferable to her real self. She sat when he made no comment save kicking her chair out with his left foot. "Ever the gentleman, I see." He could tell she didn't like him, and was going to make no attempt to converse had he not watched her caress her left forearm.
Draco sat up. "My name is Daniel. I apologize for the rudeness. You did nothing to deserve it. If you don't mind, I opt not for a 'taciturn conversation', though I can appreciate the humor of those words together." He smiled politely, with Slytherin intent.
"Thank you for the appreciation." The witch gave him a calculated look, and Draco chuckled knowing Granger was a cheater, probably casting legilimancy at that very moment.
Draco was taught at a young age occlumency. He was skilled at preventing a Legilimens from accessing his thoughts, feelings, and memories. He was powerful enough that he could not only block a Legilimens, but he could also manipulate what one could see or interpret when delving into his mind. He finally had the upper hand on Granger, and after a month of coveting all of her, he was going to use his skill to his advantage. He pictured the witch before him (not Granger as that would reveal his secret) cuddled in his arms on his bed under black satin sheets as he caressed her hair while reading to her from Hogwarts: A History. (Later he would chastise himself for not choosing a more romantic book, but at the moment that was all that he could imagine.)
Granger gasped. Her eyes widened and she began to blush becomingly. Draco wished it was her real face before him. Suddenly the bell chimed to end their five minute session. He quickly grabbed her face and kissed her softly but briefly before he pulled away. "Thank you for a wonderful date."