Chapter 25: The Amendment
A month after their wedding, Hermione made her way down the kitchen after her shower, after having woken up alone. Assuming Sirius would already be ready for the day and in the kitchen eating breakfast, she took her time, relaxing under the hot water, enjoying the feeling.
When she reached the kitchen, she saw him sitting at the table, cup of coffee in front of him, a half-eaten plate of eggs pushed to the side as he read the paper.
She breezed in, throwing a quick good morning over her shoulder while grabbing a cup of coffee herself. Then, walking up behind him she rested her free hand on his shoulder and kissed the top of his head before sliding into the chair across from him.
She didn't look at his face at first, taking a sip of the caffeinated beverage, closing her eyes at the warmth, before asking, "Could you pick out a bottle of wine for dinner tonight at Remus and Tonks'? I meant to ask you yesterday."
She took another sip and glanced up at him. He didn't acknowledge her, so she asked, "Something interesting in the Prophet this morning?" He was still staring at the paper, face contorted in anger, eyes blazing.
"Sirius?" Hermione asked again, a note of panic creeping into her voice, "Sirius, what's wrong?"
"They've amended the Marriage Law," he ground out, voice very nearly shaking with rage. Hermione hadn't seen him this angry since the day the law was announced.
"Did they ban contraceptive charms and potions? Everyone expected they would," Hermione asked, but knowing before she said it that wasn't it. If that had been the case, Sirius would not be this angry, especially since they had talked about this very possibility weeks ago, and Hermione already had her prescription to muggle contraceptive ready to go if need be.
"I can't... Just read it," he spat, tossing the paper across the table to her.
She picked it up and started reading, dread settling into the pit of her stomach.
Marriage Law Amended
There has been much speculation since the enactment of the Marriage Law as to whether there would be any amendments with regards to conception and procreation. It seemed unlikely the Ministry would leave the matter up to chance after taking such drastic measures to ensure the future of the wizarding world.
"We have known since the beginning that simply making marriage a requirement would likely not be enough to solve the problem we are facing in wizarding Britain," a Wizengamot insider told this reporter. "We have been considering the best solution, working in conjunction with researchers at St. Mungo's, since the law was passed."
The information we at the Daily Prophet have been privy to lead us to believe that if an amendment were to pass, it would be after the initial six month time requirement for marriage had passed, and likely after the two weeks allotted for the Ministry mandated marriages, during which time individuals who did not find a spouse during the six months would be matched and immediately married by the Ministry.
Last Friday marked the end of that two week period, so it came as little surprise when the Wizengamot met Monday morning in a closed session, announcing early this morning an amendment has already been passed and will be enacted immediately.
It is now required that all couples within the childbearing age ranges, the Marriage Law defined (even those couples who were married prior to the law's inception) must produce offspring. They will have a 12-month window to prove a viable pregnancy. Those who are unable to produce a viable pregnancy in that timeframe must report to St. Mungo's for testing and fertility treatment. Those couples will be given an additional six-month window, under healer supervision, to produce a viable pregnancy.
If a couple is found incompatible biologically, at the end of the time window, they will be separated and will be placed with different spouses who are deemed more suitable biologically. If one spouse is found infertile or in some way physically incapable of producing offspring they will be declared exempt from the law and will not be required to marry again, while their partner will be reassigned to a better-suited spouse.
It is important to note that this separation clause applies to all couples, not only the ones who have married as a result of the Marriage Law.
Why are such drastic measures being taken? Because the population crisis is just that dire, according to the Ministry. In the official announcement from the Wizengamot at 7 am this morning, the amendment was described as the best feasible course of action that could be taken.
Kellan Nicolai, the Wizengamot's spokeswizard, stated in his announcement, "We have considered and dismissed several courses of action. The first, and less drastic, option was to simply outlaw contraceptive charms and potions. However, it was deemed infeasible. While we could ban contraceptive potions from being sold and regulate the ingredients needed to brew the potions, tracking the charm would be a logistical nightmare, not to mention a severe breach in privacy since the only way to track it would be to put a trace on every individual's wand and monitor every spell cast.
Additionally, we are aware there are numerous forms of muggle contraception that would be impossible for the Ministry to track. And of course, there is always the real possibility that a couple would choose abstinence.
In fact, that was the real reason that we decided to take such drastic measures. We have become aware that many couples who have married under the marriage law have done so in name only and continue to live separate lives. We are not unsympathetic. We realized going into this that people would be forced to marry near strangers, and many of the marriages that came out of this law are not love matches.
But our dilemma is simple. We need to repopulate the wizarding world in this country. How will that ever be possible if people aren't engaged in, err, the activities needed to create offspring?
This amendment will guarantee that all the citizens of wizarding Britain capable of producing children, to produce children. It's really as simple as that."
Simple perhaps, but it is expected there will be an outcry for this amendment, maybe even more so that the original law.
Will it be successful? Will enough children be produced to fix the population problem? Only time will tell. Please continue following the Daily Prophet for up to date news.
Hermione's head was swimming. She was having a hard time comprehending what she had just read. She scanned the article again before meeting Sirius' eye.
He was looking very grim, and now she understood his anger. She felt her own rising up in her as she absorbed the new information.
She had to get pregnant. Not down the line when she was ready to be a mother. Not when she actually wanted a child and chose to have one. Right now. Right now, when she'd only been with Sirius two months. When they were just getting comfortable in their roles as husband and wife. When she was set to start university in three weeks. How could this be happening?
"God's, I-I don't even know what to say. I never expected..." Hermione fumbled, her anger suddenly sizzling out as the magnitude of the news settled on her. She felt tears burning behind her eyes and she swallowed thickly.
"No, I didn't expect this either," Sirius said softly. He studied her for a moment, then stood and walked around the table, settling into the seat next to her. He wrapped his arms around her, and she buried her face in his chest as the tears squeezed out of the corners of her eyes.
"I know it's a lot, and I wish I could tell you everything will be alright. But I'm just so furious right now, I'm having a hard time believing it myself," Sirius continued in barely more than a whisper.
She nodded, then pulled back. He was still exuding anger, but he smoothed her hair back gently and kissed her forehead. "I can't believe this is happening," she whispered, voice cracking. "It's like they think the wizarding world is going to go extinct tomorrow. Why are they forcing people to do this?"
"Because they're fools," Sirius spat suddenly. "If they think forcing people who barely know or like each other to have children together is going to save this world, they are mistaken. They'll just end up with a generation of unloved and unwanted children who will resent the Ministry for their miserable lives."
Hermione was startled by the vitriol in his voice. She raised her eyebrows, and his eyes softened, "Not our kid. Our kid will be loved, even if we're not ready for one yet. But having been raised in this house by parents who hated each other and couldn't stand me once I was old enough to talk, I can tell you right now, it's no picnic."
Hermione sighed and shook her head. She knew Sirius had more than his fair share of family baggage, so she understood where he was coming from, "I hope that people can look past the resentment they feel against the Ministry, and maybe even their spouses, to love their children. But I know what you mean. This may help raise magical birth rates, but it isn't just about giving birth. People are going to have to raise these children. Care for them. Hopefully, love them."
Sirius shrugged, "Love isn't a necessary part of getting a kid from birth to adulthood."
She pursed her lips at his negative attitude but didn't pursue the topic further. Instead, she said, "I guess we start trying right away? I'd really rather avoid having to go to St. Mungo's."
Sirius heaved a big sigh, rubbing his eyes as he bit out, "I suppose so." He looked at her then, and his eyes softened. "I'm sorry. I know this isn't easy for you. That it's, in fact, going to be more difficult for you since you're the one having to get pregnant and give birth. I don't want you to think that I'm going to be angry or resentful of our kid. The Ministry, yes. But this kid is going to be part you, which is just fine in my book."
He gave her a casual wink and a halfhearted smile, which was clearly forced, but she appreciated the gesture nonetheless.
When they arrived at the Lupin's flat later that evening for dinner, they found Harry and Ginny already there. Based on the looks on all her friends' faces, there had been more than a little anger and a few tears shed over the day's announcement.
She hugged everyone without bringing up the topic, everyone in silent agreement to wait until Ron and Emily arrived.
Once their group was complete, they all sat down, crowding into the small living room, Ginny and Hermione sitting together on the floor in front of the cold fireplace, Harry and Sirius on chairs next to them, and the remaining four squashed into the oversized couch facing them.
No one said anything for a long time. Then Hermione heard a sniffle a moment before Emily burst into tears.
Ron put his arm around her and rubbed her back as she sobbed, clutching at the front of his shirt. Hermione felt tears prickling at the back of her eyes in sympathy and commiseration.
After a few minutes, Emily calmed down, wiping her eyes with the handkerchief Remus had conjured for her. "I'm sorry!" she exclaimed. "I'm just so overwhelmed! I still have two years of university left, and I'm working, and we're saving for a house. And now this! I just don't know how I'm going to handle it all!"
"You don't have to apologize," Hermione said gently, "We all understand."
Ginny nodded vehemently, "Of course we do!"
"It's not that I don't want children," Emily rushed on, now looking at Ron. "I just thought we'd have a few years before we started thinking about it."
"I know, Em," Ron murmured, "But we're going to be fine. We'll figure it out."
She nodded and dabbed at her eyes again.
Ginny shook her head and said, "We had a plan. Harry was going to work his way up the ranks at the Auror office, and I was going to go as far as I could on the Harpies. Maybe make captain. Then in a few years, maybe five, I'd retire and try to get a job at the Department of Magical Games and Sports and we'd try for a baby. I don't want a big family like I came from, so we were ok with waiting. But now... The Harpies are done for. Everyone on the team is going to be getting pregnant. Can't very well play Quidditch and risk getting knocked off your broom by a Bludger while pregnant."
Harry reached down and squeezed her shoulder, then said, "After everything we've all been through, can't they just let us live our lives the way we want?"
"That's one of the worst parts for me," Sirius added. "The wizarding world is not going to die out tomorrow. Why not wait to see what happens in the next couple years? See how many magical children are born naturally, without their intervention? And they have the nerve to try to make it sound like they're doing us all a bloody favor, by not 'invading' our privacy. As if forcing us to marry and have children is some sort of blessing they are bestowing on us."
"They do see it as such," Remus said, "They all truly believe they are saving the world. Saving the future."
"Yeah, by destroying our present!" Ron snapped. "Don't get me wrong, I don't regret my marriage. And I probably wouldn't have even met Emily if it wasn't for the law. But this is bloody insanity. They act like we're livestock to breed!"
"That's exactly what we are to them. We've been paired in a way they believe will produce the best-bred offspring. We will be mated, and our offspring will be studied and evaluated for fitness. And I worry what will happen after. How many children will they force out of us? What if they think all of this isn't enough?" Hermione asked. She rested her head and Sirius' knee and he started running his fingers through her hair.
Silence fell again, but after a few moments, Sirius said, "You've been awfully quiet cousin."
Hermione looked up at Tonks and was surprised to see a blush staining her cheeks. For a woman who was next to impossible to embarrass, it was a strange sight.
Tonks exchanged a look with Remus, who shrugged slightly. She took a deep breathed, before beginning, "It's just... We all knew something was coming. Not this maybe, this is ridiculous, but something. And I've more than a few years on you lot, so we, umm... Well, we decided to let nature take its course, so to speak."
She fell silent again, and realization dawned on Hermione. "Are you pregnant?" She asked.
Tonks nodded slightly, a small smile turning up at the corners of her mouth, "Just barely, not even eight weeks. But we had our first appointment yesterday, and everything looks good. We were going to tell everyone tonight, but with this amendment, we had thought to wait..."
Sirius stood up and walked over to her, pulling her up and hugging her tight. Hermione heard him say softly, "No matter what's going on, this is amazing news. Congratulations." Then he was hugging Remus and Hermione stood to join the queue to give her congratulations.
"Here we go again," Ron exclaimed, grinning at Hermione's teary eyes as she reached Tonks. She smacked his arm with a laugh and hugged her friend close, then did the same with Remus.
The group managed to enjoy a nice dinner together, trying to avoid the depressing changes they were all facing. The talked about plans for baby Lupin, and Hermione pushed her own fears of having a child at this point in her life to the back of her mind for the sake of her friends.
She was thrilled for them, even more so since they had chosen it on their own terms before the Ministry had a chance to order them about. She thought they were lucky for that. There would be no struggling with the guilt Hermione already felt about not wanting the child she would soon be having.
Later that night, as she lay in bed with Sirius, she whispered her guilt-inducing thoughts to him.
"There's nothing to feel guilty about," he said softly back. "You are just trying to process the situation. But I know you, Hermione. I know that when the time comes, you will be happy. And you'll love our child, no matter what. And so will I."
Hermione nodded, "I know you will. You'll be a great father."
He reached for her, kissing her softly on the lips before wrapping his arm around her, and she snuggled into his chest.