Hello, my darlings. Happy New Year! Your wonderful reviews fueled my muse and here we are.
Chapter 7 The Law Is Announced
Two weeks later, she received two dozen pink and peach roses, no note, but Katie reported Lisa Turpin had been having the worst two weeks ever. Anything that could go wrong was, for both her and her parents. Hermione laughed and instructed her to send the flowers to St Mungo's for the patients to enjoy. Her smile grew when Viktor sent her a note that he would be home from the road matches that evening and wanted to get dinner. She floated on a cloud of good mood until the delivery owl dropped off the Daily Prophet, and she watched the smile slide off Katie's face as she read the headlines. "They passed it," she whispered, turning the newspaper around.
Marriage Law Passes By Narrowest of Margins. In a late night vote behind locked doors, the Wizengamot voted to join the rest of Europe and pass a marriage law. Coming on the heels of the American decision to close magical immigration, it leads to speculation this law has been in the works for some time. The law will affect witches and wizards between the ages of 19 to 40. The level of commitment between couples will be left up to the individuals, but each couple will be expected to produce three to four children over the next ten years, the first within the first year.
Long term couples can petition the Ministry for marriage licenses over the next two weeks. Couples must be able to prove they have been in a committed relationship consistently over the last year and a half. Those not qualifying will submit several personality screenings along with their magical signatures to the newly formed Office of Marriage. Once the results have been calculated, witches and wizards will receive their list of four matches. Over the following two months they will conduct at least one social interaction per week with each candidate. The Ministry does not wish to place parameters on these events, other than to stipulate the number of interactions, and that each must last at least 30 minutes.
At the end of that time frame, each witch will rank her candidates in order of preference. Men will be given appointments to review the witches that have selected them as their first choice. Each wizard will select one and be allowed to propose in the manner of his choosing. Unselected witches will be moved onto the list for their second choices and so on until all have been matched up.
Each couple has two weeks to register their engagement with the Office of Marriage. They have six months to complete their binding from their date of engagement. The new department head, Edith Duncan, hopes that the process will be smooth and as painless as possible.
"Well, that sounds exhausting." Hermione sighed.
"That's what you took from that?" Cassius asked.
"For the next two months, we will have to work, go horrible dates four times a week, and try to find time to commiserate with family and friends. Just thinking about it makes me want to take a nap."
Katie looked at them, "I don't suppose this is when you announce you have a solution?"
"Buy outfits that layer well and lots of accessories to make different looks?" Hermione replied.
"I was afraid of that."
The office door flew open and Ginny Weasley burst into the room. "Have you seen this shite?" she raged. She noticed the newspaper and calmed slightly. "You have. How in the hell am I suppose to be able to go four dates a week in the middle of quidditch season? Are they insane?"
"Quidditch players aren't the only busy people. That's why it says they only have to be thirty minutes. And only have to be social interactions. Once you've met them, you could scar them for life by bringing them home to meet your family."
Ginny visibly brightened, "That takes care of four of them."
"And this does give us an excuse to drag Hermione shopping," Katie smirked.
"Us?" Ginny questioned.
"I need some new things, too. And why should you have all the fun?"
"Run, Cassius, save yourself." Hermione dramatically pretended to block the way to the door. "I'll hold them off." Everyone laughed. "On a serious note, we should probably close the office for a few days. I will write up a notice that we are unable to assist anyone in avoid the marriage law, or influencing the outcome. Serious applicants can send owls. Tomorrow we'll all work from the Haven. "
"Shopping now?" Ginny perked up.
Hermione nodded, "Shopping now."
Hours later a bag laden Hermione entered Number 12 Grimmauld Place through the front door. Harry blinked at her in surprise. "Did you leave anything in the stores?"
"Yes, actually. But what Gin didn't demand I buy, Katie did. And if I balked, they tagged teamed me until they broke me down. Surrender became easier."
"Wanna go get some take out for dinner?"
"Sure, Katie told me about a new pub in the Alley, the Crossed Wands, want to give it a try?"
"Sounds better than sitting around moping tonight."
"Why are we moping?"
"Have you not read the papers today?"
"Harry, we've spent our entire lives doing things for the 'greater good' of everyone else. If I am reacting in any way to this it is not with moping. And knowing Kingsley fought this tooth and nail, I am not inclined to storming the Bastille and overthrowing the government. Tonight, anyway." She sent her bags flying towards her room.
Kreacher popped in, "Would, Miss Rune Mistress like Kreacher to put her things away?"
"Only if you would like to. Thank you for offering." Hermione and the elf had come to a truce after the war. He better explained why Dobby was the abnormality, not the norm, for house elves. They came to an accord, he would offer his services, and she could accept or not. Most of the time she still left the elf the ability to refuse if he wished.
The pair apparated to Diagon Alley and decided to invite the twins along. As they walked towards the shop, Harry repeatedly ran his hands through his hair and fiddled with his shirt. "What's wrong, Harry?"
"Nothing."
"Please, if you run your hands through your hair one more time the static build-up will kill you when it discharges."
He glared at her briefly, then relented. "This marriage law isn't because of the girlfriend thing I did is it?"
She laughed, "Merlin, no! Though it should attract at least one girl with the qualities you are looking for."
"That's nice for me, I suppose."
"We'll get through this, Harry. And you don't have to marry anyone. You could propose an agreement where the two of you procreated the minimum number of times required to have the required children." She grabbed his hand.
"Nah, if I have to have kids I want a family, not a business arrangement."
"Me, too." Harry squeezed and released her hand as they entered WWW.
"LOOK OUT!" Prank products flew about the room and rapid speeds. Customers ducked and ran for cover as employees chased after them.
"Immobulus Maxima!" Hermione cried stretching her arms out, palms up." All of the flying projectiles froze midair. With precise movements, she dropped her hands moving her palms to face the floor.
"Still have to move with wandless magic, do you?" Harry drawled teasingly.
"Piss off, Potter. Rituals can require movement. Movement can make magic more potent." She answered primly. "Oi, George, Fred, what's your restocking spell?"
George popped out from behind a shelf and gestured with his wand. The products zoomed to their proper location. "Thanks, Mione. Had a customer's kid have a bit of accidental magic in the form of a tantrum."
"Bloody coward just grabbed the kid and ran from the tornado," Fred remarked.
"How rude." Hermione frowned. Customers began to emerge from where they had taken shelter. "Once you lot close up want to grab a bite to eat with us?"
"Sure. We close in about twenty. Take that long to get this lot check out."
Noticing the fans starting to gather the courage to begin mobbing, Harry smiled, "We'll wait upstairs, yeah?"
Glancing about Fred nodded, "Up two go before we have another emergency situation."
"Good call." George agreed.
Twenty-five minutes later the foursome made their way down the street chatting about the perils of being a shopkeeper. "Admit it," Hermione teased, "you love every chaotic second."
"Yeah, we do." agreed Fred. He grabbed the pub door and jerked it open, "Ladies first."
"Yeah, we're not a bunch of babbling baboons." George declared making them all laugh.
"Excuse me, excuse me, Harry, Hermione!" They all stopped as an unknown woman rushed over to them.
"Um, do we know you?" asked Harry.
"Marigold Kinley, I write for the Daily Prophet."
"So, we don't," Fred stated. He started to move into the pub proper.
"Wait," Kinley cried, "I wanted to ask you some questions. A quote from Harry Potter or Hermione Granger could land me the front page."
Hermione huffed in annoyance, she hated this, but could hardly blame the woman for wanting to get ahead. "Fine, ask."
"Are you excited about your upcoming nuptials with the marriage law going into effect?"
Hermione blinked once, twice, then a third time. "Are we excited about our upcoming nuptials because of the marriage law? Like, you think Harry and I are getting married, or that we're getting married at all?"
"I am aware the two are not a couple, I meant getting married in general." She nodded eagerly.
Hermione's hands curled into fists. She squared her shoulders and glared at the reporter. George leapt forward and snatched her purse, and therefore her wand, away from her. The three then retreated to just inside the pub. "The fact that we must once more step up and fix the messes of the wizarding world is infuriating if you must know. Our childhoods, and by our, I mean our ENTIRE generation's, were sacrificed on the altar of your war. A war most adults pretended was not happening. Because VOLDEMORT couldn't possibly be back. We cannot take the word of a child. He must be lying. The same child we expect to fix everything for us. While most of your readers hid under the bed hoping the Death Eaters would ignore them, we children stood up to them. We faced down terrors that had send grown adults running. And don't even get me started on the fact that the other side was even worse about child soldiers. And our reward? Are we allowed to enjoy our early adulthood? Given time to have some fun before we settle down? Nope. We have to get married and start churning out babies because narrow-minded, dim-witted bigots limited their choices of partners and destroyed their reproductive abilities in the name of having male pureblood offspring for decades." Hermione snarled. Kinley took a step backward from the fiery witch, but Hermione took a step forward following her. "Adding insult to this injury, we have reporters acting like this some great opportunity. I'm sure as soon as those lists go out and people see who is in the company of others the betting pools will begin. The speculation in the papers. Who will land themselves a wealthy spouse, or a famous spouse? Who cares if they find love, or happiness, so long as we get some drama to watch and babies to bolster our population. We deserved better from you, but then again, as always the older population of the wizarding world only thinks of themselves. Enough of a quote for you?" She spun and faced the rest of the taproom.
Silence stretched across the entire taproom. Realizing everyone had seen her little outburst, Hermione started to feel horrified. Until Terence Higgs stood on his chair, clapping slowly. "Fuck yeah! Give her hell, Granger, berk has it coming." The room erupted into cheers.
Harry clapped her on the shoulder, "I have a feeling we're drinking for free tonight, but at least this time you earned it for something you wanted to do." She laughed and followed him to a booth, leaving Marigold Kinley gaping like a fish behind them.
Higgs and his mates, Adrian Pucey and Theo Nott made their way over, "Evenings on us, Granger." Pucey smiled.
"You don't have to do that." she protested.
"Nott laughed, "Too late, already added you to Higg's tab." He raised his glass in salute. "We all owe you, most purebloods owe you big with this marriage law." She raised an eyebrow. "Just came from Gringott's myself, the cursed item was a book. Hated to have to burn it, but now that sword isn't hanging over my head. Hence, your evening is on us."
"Others are bound of offer as well after that lovely speech." Higgs smiled. "Bitch had been running around asking how we all felt about it. I don't know, how can you feel after it has been announced you have to get married before you're ready."
The waitress arrived and took their orders. Nott added several different selections when Hermione seemed reluctant to order food. She glared at him, "I won't lie, that look does terrify me, but we're still paying."
Harry scooted closer to Hermione, "You might as well join us." Higgs and Nott slid in next to Harry and George, while Pucey grabbed a chair from an empty table. "You know, it could be worse."
"What could?" asked Fred.
"The marriage law." He looked at Hermione, "Poland."
She nodded grimly. "Yeah, Poland." Realizing that no one else seemed to know what they meant, she elaborated, "The Polish government just paired people up, not compatibility checks, not choices, just here's your spouse. A lot of corrupt older men and women got themselves paired with much younger spouses. Fifteen suicides and four murders later, all marriages that can be annulled have been and the rest are being reviewed for abuses. Since they were among the first, most countries have been working to avoid their mistakes."
"What are your real thoughts?" Fred asked.
She shrugged, "That I reserve judgment. Maybe all the paperwork leads us all to the perfect partner. Keeping an open mind could help us find love and happiness."
"Unless someone bribes the results," Nott remarked bitterly.
"Then may the gods have mercy on the souls of that sad bastard. He's about to have a really bad decade." They all laughed. "I expect that the part of the Ministry that got shut out of the voting as going to be watching like hawks for corruption so that can try to shut this down completely."
Harry nodded, "Kings is pissed off to an extreme. He is looking for any excuse. I'm hoping for a brawl over some bird or bloke," he added after Hermione kicked him under the table. "That would make all of this a public nuisance, and away it could go."
"If it is a duel we could argue threat to the secrecy statute."
Hermione remarked.
Pucey shook his head, "You would make a brilliant solicitor, Granger."
She shrugged, "Probably, but let's talk about something else. Part of going out tonight was to escape all this."
"Where's Weasley?"
"You mean Ron? Cause, we're Weaselys, and we're right here." Fred pointed at himself and George.
"Puddlemere has an evening exhibition. So, he's working." Harry's response changed the subject to quidditch, and for once she let it without a fuss, grateful for the carefree banter. Like every other young person there, they let themselves forget what lie ahead.