I don't own any of the characters in this story they are all the property of JK Rowling.

This was beta-ed by Kabg01 massive thanks to her.

I'm nervous about posting this chapter I won't deny. This is already my most followed fic thanks if you've read or reviewed it.

Hermione glanced absently at the clock above her desk at the ministry. 11:40, nearly lunch time. It was unlike the studious brunette to wish the day away rather than being engrossed in her work but there seemed to be something in the air today, an odd atmosphere that was leaving her unable to settle. Perhaps it was the unexpected resignation of deputy head of the Magical Law Enforcement Department that had thrown her – as a fellow woman and muggle born, Hermione had always looked up to her. Or perhaps it was the flurry of owl messages she had received that morning from Draco that were somehow suggestive and insulting at the same time. Nearly a month had passed since she had stayed over at his flat but they hadn't talked about his family or his scar again. She wasn't ready for any more of that Draco - the vulnerable, open Draco that posed a real danger to her heart. She needed him to be Malfoy again. To reassure her that it was all just fun and games and an intriguing bit of verbal sparring. As if he sensed that, he had been making the effort to be more crude than normal in his correspondence.

Then again, a couple of senior colleagues from other departments had thrown her glances as she had walked past them in the corridor that had made her feel that she was in trouble for some reason. So when what looked to be a hurriedly folded interdepartmental memo zoomed crookedly onto her desk, bearing the words 'Hermione Granger Private and Confidential' in Arthur Weasley's hand, the ink slightly smudged as though he had been in too much of a rush to let it dry properly, she was almost unsurprised. She smoothed the parchment out on the desk in front of her

"Hermione, come to the Burrow immediately. URGENT. Do not wait. AW"

Her heart was immediately in her mouth as her mind ran over a hundred scenarios that she only usually acknowledged to her therapist – loved ones captured or dead, Voldemort returned, another dark uprising. With shaking hands she packed up her work and waved her wand to lock it in her desk drawer. She popped her head into the office of Amos Diggory, the head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, attempting to swallow away the lump in her throat.

"Mr Diggory, I need to leave right now. I'm so sorry, I've not got any meetings and I'll make the time up but it's a family emergency,"

Amos looked up from his work, his face grave, "Please, go. Don't worry about making the time up, you haven't used your annual leave for the past two years, I'll get in trouble with personnel if you don't start taking some time off. In fact, why not take tomorrow off too?" the pleading edge to his voice made Hermione wonder just how much trouble he had got from the stern faced witch in human resources for the fact that she didn't take any time off. She forced a thin lipped smile, the back of her mind nagging at her that this emergency might take longer than one afternoon to resolve. Nodding and thanking him she turned on her heel and headed for the floo portals.

When she flooed into the burrow, half the order seemed to be there, all talking at once. They were all gathered round the kitchen table, shouting at a piece of parchment. However, at the noise of her entry they all turned to look at her with identical expressions, that of one who has to pass over a piece of unimaginably bad news.

She gripped the edge of a chair, the worn wooden back the only thing stopping her legs shaking.

"Who's died?" she asked quickly before her throat would threaten to close up in panic.

"No one, no one, Hermione dear," Mrs Weasley bustled over and, putting her arm around her, guided her into the chair, "Would you like a cup of tea? Honestly," she reassured her, "everyone is fine. We've just had a bit of a shock is all,"

Arthur stepped forward sheepishly, the offending parchment clutched in his hand. Everyone was still looking at her, giving her the sinking feeling that whatever this was, it was going to be a very personal tragedy.

"I uncovered this at work today, it flew into my office by mistake. The news is likely to go public in the next day or two but we need to act now. I sneaked it out under my robes," he looked guilty as she snatched the parchment from him.

Memo

To: Aurelius Hazeldene, Head of the Betrothals and Marriages Office

From: Kingsley Shacklebolt Minister for Magic

Sensitivity: Confidential

Re: NEW MARRIAGE LAW PROPOSAL

Aurelius,

I received your white parchment on the above subject for consideration prior to a vote at the upcoming Wizengamot. I must say I am surprised at the short notice you have given for this and would appreciate a meeting at 2pm this afternoon in my office to discuss the implications of and motivations behind this proposal. I have read the parchment which may have to go through a Plain English exercise prior to it being circulated tomorrow due to its use of confusing language and have summarised what I think to be the key points below. If any of my assumptions are incorrect, please could you let me know prior to our meeting:

Since the first wizarding war there has been a constant decline in children being born. The effects of this have been seen most sharply since the second war and this must be reversed in order to repopulate the wizarding world.

Latest research shows that pureblood families' magic is becoming less powerful, there has been a rise in the number of squibs as well as reported cases of mental instability. This has not been reported in mixed blood families and muggle borns seem free of these afflictions.

Therefore a controlled injection of muggle blood is deemed necessary to reduce this

Enforced mixed blood marriages will reduce the likelihood of future wizarding wars

It is proposed that all non-betrothed muggle born witches under the age of 25 will be paired by the newly formed repopulation department of the Betrothals and Marriages Office with a pure blooded wizard under the age of 30 years old.

It will initially be non-compulsory for pure blooded males to put themselves forward. However, should insufficient numbers apply, males will have to be conscripted.

Unless both parties agree that they are non-compatible and are deemed to be so by the BaMO, they will be bound by marriage within one year. In the case of all parties agreeing that they are incompatible, both parties shall be reassigned new partners.

Couples shall be monitored routinely and any children produced will be subject to a series of non-intrusive tests to ensure that the above mentioned negative traits are absent.

If I have missed any major points please can you present them to me this afternoon,

Kingsley

As if Hermione had summoned him by reading his name, Kingsley Shacklebolt strode out of the fire, the journey not seeming to break his stride at all. He surveyed the scene around him for a moment before speaking, "Ah good, I see the misdirected memo I sent out reached you alright Arthur. Now, this needs –"

"How can you let this happen?" screeched Molly, cutting off the minister for magic mid-sentence, "You're supposed to be in charge, why haven't you stopped it?" Mr Weasley placed his hand gently on his wife's arm but she shook it off. Kingsley held up his hands in defence.

"Molly, I'm doing everything I can to block this rule coming in but the Betrothals and Marriages Office have rushed it through. I didn't even know about it before yesterday when I saw the white parchment for it. I'm not a dictator Molly, the wizengamot are meeting in two days to vote on it and I will be appealing to all wizards to vote against it. I can't order them to but in the mean time I'll be trying to find out what's behind it and whether I can legally overrule a vote cast by the Wizengamot, just in case.

"You think it will be passed then?" Arthur asked, aghast. Hermione listened distractedly, the fact she was still sat down while they all stood around her and talked over her head made her feel somewhat detached from the whole conversation. As though they were talking about someone else's life. Her eyes scanned the parchment again to make sure she had understood correctly. That it may become law for her to marry a pureblooded wizard chosen by the ministry.

Kingsley nodded slowly, "The fact that this has come out of nowhere, that no one consulted me first. This reeks of foul play. And no one would attempt such a blatant coup unless they were sure that they could get away with it. And it plays on the worst fears of so many – that the wizarding world is dying out. It will be presented as logical. It even has precedence - it happened once before in the seventeenth century when the plague and the great fire coupled with widespread witch hunting wiped out a large number of the magical community. All we can do now, is make arrangements to minimise its effect while I work to get it overturned,"

Hermione felt the collective gritting of everyone's teeth, as though Kingsley had answered the question they had all been arguing about when she arrived. Her mind felt sluggish and slow for once. She looked up at Kingsley,

"What are they hoping to gain? Do they want muggle borns to give up their wands?" There was no need to elaborate on who "they" were. They all knew she was suggesting that dark magic was behind it.

"That is obviously an option, however, the fact that the ruling doesn't mention it, would suggest they aren't offering that as an easy way out. No, it seems as though they want the marriages to take place,"

"Why?" asked Hermione, horrorstruck. The thought of being forced to marry someone purely for their blood status must be more unappealing to the witches and wizards that revered the purity of their bloodline, even more than it did to her.

"Why do you think?" George piped up, his usually jovial tone bitter as he looked from her to the parchment that she held, his hands in fists at his sides. Suddenly, her mind seemed to kick back into gear again, and things fell into place. The thought of death eater suitors lining up for her hand wrapped icy strands around her heart.

"Oh – oh! Me? Surely this isn't all about me? What could they want me for?"

No one seemed to want to answer.

"We need to something to stop them though," Fleur strode forward and jabbed at the parchment, "It says 'ere that all non-betrothed muggle born witches will be bound to a pure blood wizard," she looked at Hermione wide eyed and enunciated, "non-betrothed witches. Zat is it, is it not?" she turned Kinglsey, her hands on her hips – something Hermione recognised that she had picked up from Mrs Weasley.

"Yes," agreed Kingsley, "we've only got a few hours to act but if it is as we fear and the law is somehow to do with Hermione but she is betrothed before this proposal is made public, it may be enough to put a halt to it. At any rate, at least Hermione will be protected, until I can sort this mess out. I'm so sorry to deliver this bad news and run, but I have to get back and prepare for the meeting. I'll let you know more as soon as I find it out,"

Hermione opened her mouth to speak, unsure whether what would come out would be a squeak of outrage at being treated no better than a house elf, a lament over all the girls' lives that would be ruined because of her, or to laugh at the part Veela's confidence that if a girl wanted to be betrothed then betrothed she would be. By the time she had muttered as much as "but", Kinglsey had disappeared back into the fireplace. She looked round the room at Bill who even now was watching his wife with admiration, at Harry, holding hands with Ginny. Their betrothal had been announced a year ago. They were due to get married in a few months. Harry and Ginny looked at each other and Hermione recognised the determined look they both wore. Typical bloody Gryffindors, she thought, as Ginny nodded slightly and they unclasped hands,

"I'll do it," Harry spoke slowly but determinedly. Hermione felt a rush of affection for her dear friend and the sacrifice he would make for her.

"No, you can't!" she said, jumping to her feet.

"It's ok Hermione," Ginny agreed with Harry, her face wearing the hard look that Harry had always described dreamily as 'blazing'.

"Hermione's right," said Arthur, and before Harry or Ginny could protest about how ok it all was, he continued, "to break a betrothal you have to submit a petition to dissolve a union to the Betrothals and Marriages Office, you have to prove you aren't a couple any more, you both have to have an interview - there simply isn't the time. I'm afraid you can't get out of being my son in law that easily," he allowed himself a small smile at Harry to let him know that he understood the sacrifice he had been prepared to make and that he wasn't offended that he would have broken off his betrothal to his daughter. Harry looked relieved and grabbed Ginny's hand again,

"Sorry Hermione," he grinned apologetically.

Hermione smiled back and touched her hand to her heart, the words of gratitude at what he would have done for her stuck in her throat.

It was only then that she was aware of Mrs Weasley advancing on George like a cat to a mouse, an expectant look in her eye. George ignored her and turned to Hermione instead, dropping to his knees in front of her and clasping her hands in his.

"Hermione, you know you've wanted me ever since you laid eyes on me," Hermione snorted and swatted him on the shoulder, "and I can't deny you're one hot witch," he paused, taking a deep breath. Her heart hammered, was she going to be proposed to by George? For a moment a life with George flashed before her eyes. Even the thought of it made her feel exhausted. "But" he said dramatically, looking over his shoulder at his mother. Hermione saw fear cross his features for a moment before he let out all in a rush, "Angelina's pregnant, we got married in secret two weeks ago in muggle Vegas, didn't know how to tell you all, this seems as good a time as any, sorry," then ducked, as though he was expecting one of Mrs Weasley's heavier cooking implements to come crashing down on him. When nothing greeted him but stunned silence he dared to quip that those types of announcements were always easier with Fred to take half the blame.

That broke the spell. Molly was crying, trying to hug him and hit him at the same time. Bill was clapping him on the back. Even Hermione forgot the problem at hand and smiled widely at George's red face. It took a few minutes for the hubbub of congratulations to die down and for Hermione to realise that although she was happy for George and Angelina, that did mean that the number of eligible men in the room had just dwindled to zero. The thought of Draco popped into her head, but she knew that even if she was sure he could be trusted, which she wasn't, there was no way she would be able to convince the rest of the order. They would be unhappy enough that she had been stepping out with the former death eater, let alone marrying him. Plus he would probably laugh in her face. After all, they had only been on a handful of dates, during which they seemed to spend most of their time either arguing, discussing the Dragora potion, or arguing about the Dragora potion.

As Hermione had got older, although her caring nature and vehement belief in justice remained, her ability to think dispassionately and strategically had improved. The Hermione of her school days would be stomping around and refusing to be betrothed to anyone before running off to the library but she knew that wouldn't get her anywhere. She was totally confident that Kingsley would be able to overturn the law and also had no intention of marrying anyone for any reason other than love, however she couldn't deny the convenience of a betrothal now that could be discreetly broken off after the law was either not passed or removed. There weren't many men that would go along with that with no expectations or reservations, she acknowledged. The fear and anger that she might become a chattel of a death eater, despite the protection of the order, started to creep back in. A despondent silence fell for a moment, as though all members were considering the same.

Suddenly the crack of apparition outside was followed by the front door swinging open. The late afternoon sun silhouetted the tall, lean figure in the doorway yet Hermione would know it anywhere.

"I got your owl mum, what's so urgent that – WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS SHE DOING HERE?" The angry blue eyes of Ronald Bilius Weasley were staring right at her.