A/N: *This is an alternate universe where Harry is an immortal and wasn't reborn to be the son of James and Lily Potter. There was no prophecy, no chosen one to stop Voldemort from coming to power. It is safe to assume major canon events occurred and Dumbledore assumed responsibility to stop Voldemort (and failed). Any differences in canon will be discussed in the story. I hope you enjoy it!

Weekly to biweekly updates! Updates are on Sunday or Wednesday. AO3 updates first.

Tags: Immortal AU, AU - Canon Divergence, AU - Voldemort Wins, Rebirth, Reincarnation, Marriage Contracts, Dark Themes, Smut, Romance, Angst, Explicit Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-Con, Grey Harry Potter, Grey Hermione Granger, Powerful Harry Potter, Powerful Hermione Granger, Pining Harry Potter, Possessive Harry Potter, Angst with Happy Ending.

Warning: Series will contain dark themes, may have graphic violence. Non-con elements tag added because it is often referenced or discussed. NO ACTUAL NON-CON SCENES.

BETA: amidland. A million thanks for picking up this story

Disclaimer: I don't own HP or the characters.

Prologue

"Look at him. The great Immortal King has fallen so far."

Harry paid the whispered words no need and continued his walk. His bare feet dragging across the uncut grass, blood dripping from his robes and fingers.

How long has it been now?

A hundred? Maybe two hundred years?

Harry can't remember when he lost count.

"How disgraceful, the Immortal King used to be the pride of our land."

Harry wonders what she would think of him now. Would she feel the same? Would she be disappointed that he wanders the earth with no purpose?

The living don't understand; the creatures spite him for continuing to love her instead of returning to them.

But the spirits and nature herself mourn for him.

Harry trudges deeper and deeper into his forest until he stands at his abandoned shrine underneath the tree of ages. Harry stares at the forgotten sanctum, and his mind mends and weaves until his eyes see it like it was when he met her.

That one rainy day in July.

He could still hear her laugh, an echo in a memory he holds too tightly to his chest.

"You're still waiting for her."

Harry doesn't turn around, already knowing who it was long before he was approached.

"I was under the assumption that Death would not rebirth her soul as punishment to you for trying to use your magic to anchor her soul to her body and make her immortal when she was dying."

The reminder stings.

"What do you want, Emrys?" Harry drawled.

The young man pushes himself off the tree bark behind, walking to stand next to Harry.

"I go by Merlin now."

Harry didn't care to respond, continuing to stare at the desolate shrine before him while Merlin turned his attention to it as well.

"Do you wish for the people to go back to worshipping you?" Merlin asked.

"I'm not a God," Harry said. "The humans come up with their own games and play by their own rules. If it benefits them, they'll build a shrine. If it doesn't go their way, they'll abandon it. Whether or not I'm worshipped doesn't change anything."

"Then why do you stare at this shrine so often?" Merlin asked, amused, and when Harry doesn't answer, Merlin tries to take a closer look.

Just barely hanging on the front, there was a wood block with the name "Harry," carved in messily. It was certainly not the writing work of an Immortal, so Merlin could only presume whose writing it was.

Merlin stared at the immortal before him, gazing at the blood dripping from his attire and hands. Merlin knows that Harry doesn't actively take care of his land anymore; he will still take out any intruders.

Merlin had encountered Harry many times, and the magical raw power Harry held was different than the witches and warlocks that existed today. He had come multiple times in an attempt to recruit Harry to help Arthur, but Harry had no interest, and nothing could force him. Though, in every visit, Merlin had learned more and more.

All of it leading to one thing: The great Immortal King had fallen in love with a mere witch.

And a love between an immortal and a witch was not meant to last.

"Would you give anything to see her again?" Merlin asks instead when Harry doesn't say anything.

"Do not make me repeat myself, Emrys," Harry narrows his eyes, bringing back his original question of why Merlin had sought him out again.

Merlin sighs, "My liege's kingdom is at war."

"I do not care."

"My king will not win, and Camelot will fall."

"I do not care."

"I need to put King Arthur to sleep in Avalon so he may one day come back when we need him."

Harry barely turned his head to look at Merlin, the words, 'I do not care,' written all over his face.

Merlin huffed. "I came because I need your help."

Harry turned fully to face Merlin with his brow raised. "If I didn't help Morgana when she came to me, why do you believe I would help you?"

Merlin smiled.

"Because in return, I can guarantee for you to meet her again."

Harry's body stiffened, and then a white-hot rage overcame him as he summoned shards of ice around Merlin's neck, hovering, just waiting to strike.

"Do you think of me a fool?" He snarled at Merlin. "You think yourself of a God? Someone higher than Death herself?"

"No," Merlin said but didn't shake his head lest he wanted it pierced. "But I believe myself to be the greatest wizard of our time-and perhaps a long time to come."

"And that makes you believe you can undo what Death has done?" Harry scoffs.

"I believe it gives us a fighting chance to defy her," Merlin gives him a small smile. "Besides, it's my belief that she's not just punishing you. She's also testing you."

"Testing me?" Harry narrowed her eyes.

"Testing your love and if it is true. Immortals are bound by duty. For your kind, duty comes before all. Even the love your kind shares is nothing more than an obligatory contract usually between two immortals," Merlin began to breathe easier as Harry dissipated the ice spikes.

He stood straighter, clearing his throat. "And then there's you. Not only did you fall for a mortal girl, but you also loved her the way humans do. Brash, passionate, and deep, and you because you live forever, you mourn her forever."

Harry's breath shuttered. He closes his eyes momentarily and sees wisps of unruly brown locks, an unabashed laugh, and moments of shy smiles.

He did love her. He still does, and he always will.

"So, I'm giving you a chance to play Death's game," Merlin offered. "I'm gathering thirteen of the strongest witches and warlocks to participate in my ritual for King Arthur to sleep in Avalon safely until he can return after his final battle," Merlin paused a moment before picking up again. "I can bring her soul back for rebirth in the same ritual."

Harry squinted his eyes at Merlin, untrusting of the words.

"And how would you do that?" Harry asked.

Merlin points at the necklace hanging around his neck, hidden under his clothing. "With that," Merlin says. "You've been carrying around a vial of her blood since her passing, keeping it preserved with your magic, am I correct?"

Harry doesn't say anything, but that's confirmation for Merlin.

"I have someone in her family tree participating in my ritual. I can call her soul back in the same ritual with this vial of blood while Arthur goes to sleep. She will be reborn about a millennium from now, though she will not recall this lifetime. It's not the same, but I believe it may be better than nothing."

Harry pulls out the vial from under his shirt, holding it. It was the only thing he had left of her.

"And what exactly do you want from me?" He stares at Merlin suspiciously.

Merlin clears his throat. "I've gathered twelve sorcerers so far, but even if I gathered one more, I do not have the power I need to complete this ritual. I need raw magical power."

Harry snorted. "And Morgana will not lend a helping hand for you either, will she? She's waiting to see the demise of you and your king."

Merlin pursed his lips to reveal that he had tried to plead his case with her already, but it did not turn out well. "No, but she will not survive this war either, and I believe in the end, she'll reconcile with Arthur and help him to Avalon."

Harry stares at the vial of blood for a long moment before taking off the necklace and holding it out for Merlin. Just before Merlin takes it, Harry pulls back with a warning look, "Know that if this fails in any way, I will make it my life's mission to ensure your king never wakes from Avalon."

Merlin gives a sharp nod before accepting the vial from Harry.

"What will you do after the ritual?" Merlin asks as he securely tucks the vial of blood away.

"I will prepare for the millennia to pass," Harry reveals. "The ritual will dramatically drain my magic, so I must find a suitable place to hide and recover. In addition, who knows what the new times will hold. I must take appropriate measures to ensure I have what I need for her."

Merlin gives Harry a quaint smile.

"She has consumed your entire being," Merlin comments, holding no judgment in his tone.

Harry lowers himself in a squat and quietly says, "If I could, I would've followed her anywhere she went."

He lifts his fingers to his name carved on the shrine, eyes softening. It isn't long that Merlin leaves Harry to his own devices.

Please be reborn. Harry runs the pad of his finger softly through the ridges of the writing, every memory passing with each bump. Please be reborn so I can find you and follow you to the next lifetime.

Chapter One

"Hermione."

The sudden call makes Hermione turn around to see Ron standing at the door of her room. He looked haggard with his dark circles, unshaved beard, and overwhelming paleness.

But she supposed she didn't look any better.

"C'mon, there's a meeting in the dining room," Ron tells her, and she looks once more out the window before following Ron out.

There's a hollowness in her steps as she makes her way down the stairs, and when she enters the dining room, she wants to cry at how empty it is.

They had lost so many people.

Her eyes catch Sirius's from across the room. The sight of utter despair and loss on his face had her jumping into his arms to hug him tight. He returns her hug, squeezing her briefly before he lets go. Hermione turns to Lily Potter and hugs her too, squeezing more tightly than she did with Sirius.

One of the people they lost was James Potter, leaving Sirius without his brother in everything but blood, and Lily widowed to raise their seven-year-old daughter alone.

Hermione had seen Lily as somewhat a mother figure, the other woman taking it upon herself to take care of Hermione when she was thrust into the magical world alone at the age of eleven without her parents. And now, her only parent would be Lily because it was still too dangerous to return the memories of her actual parents.

Lily gives her one tight squeeze, and Hermione wants to choke on a sob because although she was the one trying to comfort Lily, the touch felt like she was the one being comforted. When they pulled back, Lily gave her a sad smile and wiped the lone tear leaking from Hermione's eye. There weren't any words that could help the two of them right now.

Looking around the rooms, she sees the people who are left. It's easier to count who is alive, Hermione's heart drops, because it would be too long to list who was dead.

Out of the Wesley family, everyone had narrowly escaped, but Percy, who had realized too late who he was working for, and exchanged his life to save Fred's.

Molly's eyes were blotchy and red, indicating that she had been crying but, at this time, needed to be strong for her other kids who were weeping except Ron.

Hermione turned her head more, seeing Remus, who was holding his child Teddy, consoling him to the best of his abilities about being unable to see mom.

When Hermione shifts her eyes again, she catches Luna sitting next to Ginny, her head lying in the crook of Ginny's neck as they held hands tightly. Next to Luna sat Neville at the end of the table. Neville looked clean, the blood from his head washed away, but it was clear he was exhausted. His eyes were somewhat sunken in.

Hermione supposes that Neville is trying to debate whether he should be thankful that his parents were tortured to the point of insanity and in long-term care now instead of just dead.

That was it from the Order of Phoenix. Everyone else was gone. Hermione felt a hit in the back of her throat when she thinks this is it. The war had come to its worse during the beginning of Hermione's seventh year and lasted just over a year before everything collapsed, and Riddle came out on top.

"We," Sirius started but paused, needing to take a shuddering breath. "We need to decide our next course of action."

"We lost," Ron said despondently. "If Dumbledore couldn't defeat Voldemort, how can we? Not to mention, there's not many of us left to fight back."

It was a negative statement, but it wasn't any less true, Hermione thought. The Gryffindor in her wanted to refuse, to slam her hands on the table and say that they should keep fighting for their cause. It was about their rights, for people's rights.

But she couldn't find it in her to move.

"Then do we give up? Live in fear? Live under their shoes? Those who aren't purebloods aren't going to get off as easy after this war," Neville frowned, and Hermione knows that he was really speaking for her, Lily, and any other non-purebloods.

"We've been in hiding since we lost," Neville continued, "and eventually, we can't keep hiding here. They're going to find us even if we have the Fidelius charm, and we need to know what we're going to do."

Sirius swallowed.

He was so tired. He just wanted to go back to his room, lock it shut with a silencing charm, and wail until he couldn't feel his lungs anymore.

James was gone.

His friend, his best mate, his brother was gone.

Not only did James leave Sirius behind, but he also left Lily and their daughter, Hazel, behind.

Sirius could hardly look at Lily without wanting to crumble under the guilt of not realizing Peter Pettigrew was a traitor.

He could only find solace that he had been the one to kill Peter in cold-blooded revenge.

By nature, Sirius was stubborn and a fighter. It was evident as the only person in his family to be sorted into Gryffindor instead of Slytherin. And yet, when he thought of Lily, thought of Hazel, he couldn't put up the bravado that he was ready to keep fighting with the risk of losing them too.

At least not right now. The group was too small, too feeble, and would perish instantly if they tried to keep fighting at this point.

They needed to back down for now and recover. While Voldemort was under the impression that he had finished the war, Sirius believed that it was far from over.

While Sirius may have chosen to be sorted into Gryffindor, he could not deny his Slytherin qualities.

"It's not ideal," Sirius spoke up, looking at Lily and feeling that familiar stab in his chest. He felt both better and worse when she grabbed his hand. "But if we want to keep having the fighting chance, we need to concede the battle here and regroup to win the war later."

"All the muggle-borns will be dead by then!" Ron shouted, and Hermione put her hand on his arm to try to calm him even though she was also trying to understand what Sirius was saying.

"No," Sirius said firmly, garnering everyone to now sit up straight to look at him. He hated this. He should've been by James's side as James was the one to lead this.

"I've gotten word back about what Voldemort's plans are since his success," he's not sure if it's reflex that he grabs Lily's hand tighter. "His method to win was to gather purebloods by siding against muggle-borns and half-bloods. Now that he's in power, Voldemort realizes that he can't just wipe everyone but purebloods out because he knows eventually the wizardkind will die out. On top of that, his reign is only in Britain. If he goes too far, he knows he will draw the attention of the wizarding world internationally, and he'll have another war on his hands."

"What's stopping him from conquering the rest of the world," Ron mumbled. "It's not like there aren't purists internationally."

Sirius shrugged. "We don't know what Voldemort's long-term goals are. For now, he seems just interested in maintaining his power here, which is why he won't issue orders for the genocide of muggle-borns and half-bloods."

"So what? We're safe?" Hermione frowning, doubting the words before she even said them.

Arthur shook his head and jumped in. "Not quite. I imagine that there will be some interesting laws passed in the next few days. He's dismantling The Ministry and having his Death Eaters become his noble councilmen to support his lordship."

"So, there won't be voting in bills anymore," Hermione pressed her lips together. "He'll just enact new laws and expect us to all follow it."

Arthur nodded grimly.

"We're war criminals now, though, especially people who were the face of the war," Lily spoke up with worry on her face. "How do we expect to avoid being executed under his ruling?"

Sirius rubbed his face. "Just leave that to me; I'll think of something."

o - o - o - o

Bursting into the room, Arthur shouted, "A new law has passed!"

Everyone had been sitting at the dining table eating the breakfast Molly made. It had been at least a few weeks since their last meeting, and Hermione felt like she was going to go insane waiting for news, waiting to see how things would play out as Sirius said.

Hazel had been sullen since James was gone, alternating between her, Lily, and Sirius for comfort. Right now, the little girl sat next to Hermione as the older girl cut up the sausages and eggs into small bites for Hazel. James had been such a doting father and had always done it for her.

"Thanks, Mi," Hazel said softly, tears welling up in her eyes as she picked up her fork and started to eat. Hermione merely kissed the side of the young girl's head. Hazel had really taken the best parts of both her parents. She was only seven, shy of turning eight, but it was clear she was her mother's spitting image but had taken her father's hair color and hazel eyes. Hermione looked at Lily and accepted the small smile of thanks the older woman gave her.

Hermione's attention then turned to Arthur, who placed the newspaper article on the table for everyone to view.

It was from The Daily Prophet, written by that blasted woman Rita Skeeter.

Everyone crowded around to get a view as they read it for themselves.

"They're...they're..." Hermione felt sick.

"Kreacher," Sirius called, and the house-elf popped in immediately.

"Yes, Master," Kreacher greeted with respect.

"Please take Hazel upstairs to finish her breakfast," Sirius directed before he turned to the young girl. "Sorry, Bambi, but everyone has to talk about a few adult things. I'll come to find you in a little bit, okay?"

Hazel nodded, though reluctantly as she stood and gave Sirius a hug. "Okay, Paddy. Can you bring chocoballs too?"

Sirius agreed readily, kissing the crown of the girl's head.

"Come now, Miss Hazel Potter, Kreacher will take Miss Hazel to the playroom to finish eating," Kreacher picked up the young girl's plate and held his hand out for Hazel to take as he guided her.

Once the little girl was gone, everyone turned their attention back to the newspaper.

The words jumped out boldly.

Marriages to muggles or procreation with a muggle were forbidden. Any wizard or witch caught with a muggle would be brought before the Dark Lord or his Death Eaters.

In addition, all muggle-borns and half-bloods are expected to begin producing heirs within the next two years. With exception to being married to a pureblood, muggle-borns and half-bloods of age cannot refuse the courting or advances of a wizard looking to procreate.

"They're basically announcing muggle-borns, and half-bloods are...are..." Hermione choked, "breeding cows!"

"It makes sense that Voldemort would take this route," Sirius sighed. "Voldemort knows killing out all muggle-borns, and half-bloods like some of the fanatical purists want to do, will only lead to the rapid destruction of his society. You can't be a ruler if you have no one to rule. But to appease the purebloods following him, he's going to try to create a pureblood only society over time."

"What do you mean?" Ron asked.

"Think about it," Hermione lamented. "Most purebloods will consider a wizard pureblooded if they have no muggle or muggle-born grandparent. Two, three, or later generations from now with this new law, the individual would be considered of pureblood."

"Blimey," Ron swore with disgust.

"But it seems there's an exception if a pureblood marries you," Neville commented with his own brows furrowed.

"Because not all purebloods are extremists," Sirius advised. "There are some powerful pureblood families who were neutral about the Dark Lord coming to power. Though some may consider them blood-traitors, they cannot ignore how powerful some of these families are. I believe a couple families have married muggle-borns or half-bloods, and to keep them appeased, they've included that clause. Marriage is viewed very sacredly by purebloods, so being married to one will offer protection at least from others' advances."

The room was silent as they tried to digest all the information.

"So, assuming we can avoid execution," Hermione spoke, "Where does that leave us?"

o - o - o - o

"There you are."

Sirius turned around to see Lily walking through the door. Time keeps passing, and it's been more than a month since they've gone in hiding, but Sirius knows they can't keep this up forever.

Eventually, they will run out of supplies, and each run to get groceries or things they needed was getting riskier. Sirius knows that; he knows it well, but he doesn't know what to exactly do.

He wishes James were here to come up with some crazy plan for him to add crazier things to it.

"Hey," Sirius greets as Lily comes to stand next to him. He was in the family tree room, staring at the many faces on his tapestry. "Is Hazel asleep?"

Lily nodded, "Yeah, she knocked out quite quick. Today was rather trying for her, missing her father and all. She's lucky she has you as her Godfather."

Sirius felt his eyes flutter close for a second before he opened them, feeling a thick lump in the back of his throat as he gripped his hand tighter behind his back.

"I miss him too," Lily says for the both of them as she loops her arm through his, putting her head on his shoulder. Sirius finds himself relaxing, allowing his pain to become a dull ache for a moment.

"Why are you in here?" Lily asked after a moment.

"You mean other than my daily routine to curse these arseholes?" Sirius half-joked, grinning when Lily jabs him in the rib with her elbow.

"You can't fool me. I know that routine starts first thing in the day," Lily joked back, and Sirius found himself laughing despite how heavy he felt.

They settle in a comfortable silence as Sirius's eyes wandered to his grandfather's picture.

Arcturus Black.

"What are you thinking about?" Lily asked as she followed his eyes.

The corner of Sirius's lip curled up in a sardonic smirk.

"Just thinking that bastard is going to get what he wants," Sirius sighed as he turned to face Lily. "I'm going become the Head of the House of Black."

Lily gasped. "Sirius," she started, but Sirius shook his head.

"I know, Lils. I can't remember the number of times I went around shouting how I would never take his place no matter how much that bastard wanted me to," Sirius huffs as he remembers how he literally went screaming up and down the street about it.

"Then why-"

"To protect you," Sirius urged. "To protect everyone. As the head of the House of Black, I will obtain more power, both magic and political, to protect us. To avoid having Voldemort slaughtering us when we're found. We may have to follow his rule, but at least we won't be squished beneath his feet."

Lily looked at Sirius, wanting to scream and shout at him that he doesn't have to do this alone, that she would rather fight until her last breath for her rights-for everyone's rights.

But she can't.

She can't when she thinks about the tiny bundle of joy that's sleeping on the floor above them.

Hazel had already lost James, Lily couldn't let her lose her mom too. Lily still wanted to fight for her daughter's future, but she knows it will be a long battle.

Courage comes in many forms, Lily has learned.

Lily stares at Sirius, who looks both defeated and resolved.

"Sirius," Lily calls his name softly, resolved herself when he looks up at her. "Marry me."

Sirius merely stares at her for a long minute before he hisses, "What?!"

"Marry me," Lily repeats like it's no big deal, but Sirius thinks he's going to have a heart attack.

"What are you bloody talking about, Lily? Stop joking around." Sirius whips his head around to see if James' ghost will appear and strangle him.

Lily rolls her eyes with a huff, something Sirius has seen her do too many times over the years they've known each other.

"I'm serious," Lily tells him. "You know the laws that have just passed. If you're taking your mantle, then I know that eventually, we're going to be exposed back into the society they're creating."

Sirius pursed his lips.

"And when that happens, we're at risk no matter how powerful the Blacks are. Being under your protection won't stop the arseholes who are going to taking advantage of this law." Lily puts it delicately, but Sirius feels a white-hot anger flare in his chest when he even thinks about some bastard touching Lily. Touching James's wife.

Lily grabs his hands in her own, and Sirius peers down and thinks how ridiculous his large hands look being held by her small, delicate ones.

"Us being married protects me, protects Hazel," Lily tells him softly, and she already knows that Sirius understands the benefits of it, but she still takes her argument home. "You promised James that you would take care of us. As James's brother, as my best friend, and as the Godfather of my child...please take care of us."

Sirius looks back up at her, feeling the words wash over him. Sirius knows that this would be the best step to take with the situation at hand. Yet, it doesn't squash the heavy guilt that overcomes him when he thinks of James.

Lily is right, though. James's last wish to Sirius was that he'd look after his family. And this, no matter how bizarre this was, Sirius knows that this would be something James would want Sirius to do if it meant keeping Lily and Hazel safe.

Lily stares at Sirius, determined but unsure if he would give in to her.

Sirius lets out a deep sigh as he turns his hands to hold Lily's instead. "Bullocks," he starts, and Lily almost frowns. "Of course, the girl I marry would propose to me first. I owe Remus 10 galleons."

Lily only laughs.

o - o - o - o

Hermione lay in her bed in the dark. She had retired early after dinner, claiming she was tired. And while she was actually tired, no sleep came to her.

The clock on the wall ticked annoyingly, and while sometimes she found the rhythmic tick relaxing, tonight it annoyed her.

She huffed, shifting again while she pulled at the blanket, trying to find some semblance of comfort. It was difficult to, though, all things considered. Just before Hermione was going to sit up, cast a silencing charm in her room, and scream, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," she answered as she sat up.

The door opened and revealed a blob that Hermione barely made out as Ron entering her room.

"Hey," Ron said as she shut the door behind him silently, coming up to her bed and taking a seat at the edge.

"Hey, something wrong?" Hermione asked worriedly, only relaxing when Ron shook his head.

"No, no, nothing's wrong," he assured her. "I just couldn't sleep, and I thought you were probably in the same boat."

Hermione made some uncommitted noise that Ron snorted at. They sat together alone quietly, trying the words to say to each other. It was rather hard, and Hermione sometimes thinks they may have never been friends if it wasn't for Neville and Ginny.

They hardly had anything in common, and Ron could be an arsehole and a git at times, but it didn't matter. They did become friends, and they were fiercely loyal to each other.

And in the last couple of years, tiptoeing around each other if there were feelings between them or not.

Hermione figures it's hard to truly explore it as an option when they've been fighting against in the war for most of their life. And if Hermione's honest, she's too tired to even think about it now with everything that's happening.

"Hermione," Ron finally spoke, his words flying through the dark.

"Yeah?" Hermione answered.

"I think we should get married."

There's a beat of silence for a moment.

"Ron-"

"No, Hermione, listen to me," Ron pushes before she can say anything, like rejecting him. "The new laws they've just announced is absolute horseshit. And honestly, I'm-I'm scared. For you."

Hermione shifts uncomfortably underneath her covers.

"My siblings, Neville, and Luna, were talking about it earlier when you left to your room," Ron admitted, and while it's too dark to see, he knows Hermione is frowning because she hates it when she's left out of any discussions.

"Whatever Sirius is planning, I'm sure it's going to involve us going out of hiding, and hopefully safely," Ron says, repeating the words Neville told him. "And we think it's best if the purebloods pair up with a muggle-born of half-blood. You know, for safety."

Hermione clenching and unclenching her covers.

"Arranged marriages," Hermione breathes out. It makes sense, quite frankly, if Hermione thinks about it. It would've been a plan she came up with if she were there too.

Ron nodded. "There's a lot of muggle-borns and half-bloods at Hogwarts. Neville will try to spread the word to the head of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw's houses back at school for any purebloods to pair up with a muggle-born of half-blood if they can. Even though my sister and Luna are together, they've even agreed to help. They'll try to find someone to pair up with. I assume the blokes they choose will understand that it's strictly a contract, though."

Hermione felt even worse. Ginny and Luna were utterly head over heels for each other, and they were going to do their best to help since they were purebloods. On top of that, they couldn't choose women muggle-borns or half-bloods because they wouldn't be able to produce an heir.

"So what?" Hermione can't help the bite in her tone because all of this was so un-fucking-fair. "Did you draw strings to see who would marry who? And you got me?"

Ron stayed silent for a second, and Hermione almost screamed at him to leave her room.

"No," Ron started, unsure. "I mean, yes, Neville had actually was going to come to ask you for your hand, but I pulled him aside to ask," Ron took a breath, "To ask if could be the one to ask you to marry me."

And while Hermione still thinks the entire thing is barbaric and she's not an object that they could just draw strings to ask to marry, she doesn't say anything.

But Hermione understands the situation more than anyone and understands they were just trying to look out for her.

She stares at the vague outline of Ron on her bed, unsure what to feel, but the anger dissipates until she feels nothing again.

"Thank you, Ron," Hermione says quietly. "I'll think about it."

Theme songs:
Arcade - Duncan Laurence
Young & Beautiful - Lana Del Ray
I Wanna Be Yours - Arctic Monkeys