She had saved him so many times before.

When he was getting so engrossed in planning a prank in the Gryffindor common room that he was almost late for quidditch training, she was the one who prodded him roughly in the arm and raised an eyebrow silently reminding him to get going before Oliver Wood flayed him alive for being late. When he was sneaking dungbombs to peeves and Mrs Norris was about to spot him, she was the one who petted and tickled the ancient feline to save him from getting caught by the equally ancient caretaker. When he was testing products on the first years, she was the one who saved him from expulsion if the news had ever got back to McGonagall by living up to her role as a prefect so heartily and threatening to tell his mother. When he was studying for his OWL exams early on Saturday mornings before the crowds arrived, she was the one who snuck him out of the library to save his reputation before anyone else saw. When he was organising pranks to play on Umbridge she was the one who double checked every detail of them so that he was safe from the tyrannical inquisitor. When he was being threatened by death eaters she was the one who created an alarm to warn him and his twin to give them enough time to escape from torture or death when the death eaters raided their shop in Diagon Alley. When the wall fell crushing him in the final battle, she was the one who cast a hasty protego as she sprinted past to complete her own tasks to win them the war saving him from death.

Staring down at the letter in his shaking hands now though he couldn't bear to ask her to save him yet again. Yes, when the nights were cold and he lay in bed alone or when the sun was hot and he watched her drag herself out of the pond at the burrow after a swim he wished that it would one day have occurred naturally, but he had never asked her to save him before and he definitely would never ask her to save him like this. It wouldn't be fair on her to restrict her life in that way.

He read the letter again in the dearest hope that he had read it wrong the first thousand times.

Dear Mr Frederick G. Weasley,

As you will be aware today, Monday 3rd May 1999, marks over a year since the end of the second wizarding war against Tom Riddle (Voldemort). During both wizarding wars our magical birth rate fell dramatically and hundreds of witches and wizards were slaughtered. This has left a lack of love in our world, children who grew up during the wars know of hatred and prejudice more than the love of married parents and a family, as these families and couples were separated and torn asunder by the evil that fuelled both wars.

Pureblood prejudice still exists in our world even though the war has ended and it is our intention to replace the misunderstanding, mistrust and misinformation that fuels this with love.

As an of age unmarried pureblood wizard you are now required, as per the new 'Love Law' passed by the Wizengamot in the early hours of this morning, to marry and build a family (biologically or, where that is impossible, through adoption) with a witch or wizard of half blood or muggle born blood status, or with a muggle. Please see this new law as an opportunity to find a partner with whom you can live and love while helping the magical community to get back onto its feet. It is our goal with this new law to trigger the creation of a whole new generation of well cared for, well loved young witches and wizards who grow up with the example of caring, compromising married parents to learn from and follow.

The details of your requirements through the Love Law are as follows:

All as yet unmarried pureblood witches and wizards aged between seventeen and thirty-seven are required to marry a non-pureblood (half blood, muggle born or muggle) within five months from today and produce three magical heirs within ten years from the date of marriage, however the first pregnancy must be signed off by a healer by the end of the first year of marriage. If there is a biological reason why, due to being a heterosexual couple or due to a medical issue as certified by a qualified St Mungo's healer, the couple cannot conceive, carry and birth all three heirs then the couple is exempt from the requirement to produce heirs and will be required instead to adopt children so that the family raises a minimum of three children.

By Thursday 3rd June, one month from today:

You may apply to the Department for Love and Families (DLF) for a marriage licence with any of age unmarried non-pureblood witch or wizard of the opposite sex within five years age difference from your own age for immediate acceptance

You may apply to the DLF for a marriage licence with any of age unmarried non-pureblood witch or wizard of the opposite sex more than five years age difference from your own age for consideration, further information will be gathered in these cases through interviews

You may apply to the DLF for a marriage licence with any of age unmarried non-pureblood witch or wizard of the same sex as you with any age difference from your own age for consideration, further information will be gathered in these cases through interviews which will include adoption interviews and, if there is an age difference of more than five years, queries over the age difference

You may apply to the DLF for an extension on your marriage date requirements if you are aged twenty or younger and are already in love with a witch or wizard of either sex aged under seventeen or aged eighteen or under and in full time education, further information will be gathered in these cases through interviews which will include queries over the potential future and viability of the relationship, if granted this extension will last until the partner either becomes of age or graduates, whichever is the latter at which point you will have one month to apply for a marriage licence

You may apply to the DLF and the Department of Magical Muggle Co-Operation (DMMCO) for a statute licence if you are in an established relationship with a muggle, this will allow you to share information of your magical heritage with the agreement that if the conversation goes well you will propose and apply immediately for a marriage licence through the DLF or, if it goes poorly, you will terminate the relationship, the muggle's memory will be modified and you will be required to find another match, further details are available from the DMMCO

You may apply to the DLF for an extension on your marriage date requirements if you are in a sapling relationship with a muggle, further details are available from both the DMMCO and the DLF

If no applications are made by Thursday 3rd June, one month from today, then the DLF will allocate you with a match of the opposite sex (you may, in advance, make an application for the match to be made with a partner of the same sex instead) from the list of half blood and muggle born volunteers held at the DLF. You will then have until Tuesday 3rd August, three months from today, to get ti know your future spouse and either formally accept or reject this match and until Sunday 3rd October, five months from today, to complete the marriage. If you reject your first DLF provided match, without providing the details of an eligible alternative with whom you are applying for a marriage licence instead, then you are legally required to accept your second DLF provided match and marry them by Sunday 3rd October.

Love based on friendship is a much more stable base for a family than any other, so we implore you to find your own match within your friendship groups and apply before the deadline.

More details will be supplied with your marriage licence, including consummation requirements.

With love and the very best of wishes,

Madam Amouretta Pragma

Head of the Department for Love and Families