A/N - Thank you to everyone who liked, followed, and/or commented on the first chapter! I'm overwhelmed with the positive feedback! My plan is to respond to the comments tonight. Enjoy Chapter 2 and let me know what you think.

Chapter 2: Unforeseen

The Daily Prophet

- Special Edition - April 6, 2003

DISAPPOINTED DEATH EATER DAD DEAD!

In an unprecedented event in Azkaban prison, Lucius A. Malfoy, former Death Eater and faithful servant of He Who Must Not Be Named, ended his life by way of suicide on Saturday evening. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement has not released the details of his death, however, one can assume he was angry with news he may have received during a visit from his son, Draco, earlier that day. Following the announcement of the mandatory Marital Law released by the Wizengamot late last month, it is believed that the Malfoy heir decided to allow the Ministry to appoint him his future spouse rather than an arranged marriage by his parents per pureblood tradition. Officials confirmed early this morning that if the young Malfoy did sign up for the program, it is unlikely, though not impossible, for him to be matched with another member of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. Time will tell what the true catalyst may have been to drive Lucius Malfoy to end it all.

April 9, 2003

"It's better this way," Narcissa whispered, her voice lost in the grandeur of the nearly empty room. "There are very few people he would have wanted here. He certainly wouldn't want the pomp and circumstance with the Ministry's new regime in attendance," she assured herself under the guise of comforting her only son.

"Yes, Mother," Draco agreed out of obligation. It was what she wanted to hear, and he wouldn't deny her his undying support at this time.

"I'm so sorry, my son," his mother sniffled as she tightly grasped her son's arm and leaned into him. If his mother apologized for crying one more time, he might explode. There were hardly a handful of attendants at his father's funeral for Merlin's sake, yet she was worried about how Lucius would think her weak for displaying too much emotion. He kissed the top of her head before staring regretfully at the grand casket displaying his father's body.

This moment was entirely surreal. His father was...dead. How could this be? The man was so angry when Draco had revealed his plan to have the Ministry appoint his spouse. After that, everything happened so quickly. Several guards stormed into the visitation room and subdued Lucius as his magic crackled all around him. They'd pulled the young Malfoy away before he could explain his reasoning...before he could say goodbye. He'd planned to return after a few days' time when Lucius had time to cool off.

Upon hearing the news of his father's death, Draco had warded himself in his room for an entire day and cried until he was completely empty. For the first time in his life, he allowed himself to feel everything; sadness, guilt, inadequacy,...relief. His mother hadn't said so, but the blond wizard was pretty sure she blamed him for Lucius's death. Truth be told, he blamed himself as well. If he'd just picked one of the pureblood witches to marry...if he'd been a better son...if he hadn't failed his task in sixth year...if he'd simply asked Dumbledore for help...if he'd visited his father more in Azkaban...if he waited to deliver the news of his decision to be matched...All of it plagued him.

Worse still were the thoughts of who his bride might be. How would she react to being paired with a former Death Eater? What if she never gave him a chance to prove he'd matured and changed since those dark times? Was it worth it to make this choice? Please, God, let this woman be worth it!

The next day, Theo was there armed with sweets and alcohol. It was easier for him to let his father go because Nott Sr. was a man that had never been worth admiring. In the way of charisma and charm, the older Nott and Malfoy wizards were complete opposites. As a boy, Draco idolized Lucius's presence and the way he commanded a room. He wanted to be just like his father back then. It wasn't until he was about fifteen when he realized the older Malfoy's true cowardice. Although Draco never had it in him to outright hate the man, he no longer respected him. He vowed to never allow his own children to take the punishment for his past mistakes.

"Your father was a selfish prick," Theo fumed. "What kind of man takes his own life because his son takes a chance at happiness?"

"If I'd just-"

"NO!" the dark-haired wizard shouted. "You deserve to be your own man. You deserve to be free of all those bloody pointless familial obligations. After everything that man allowed you to go through as a boy, he has no right to make you feel guilty!" he raged, pacing Draco's bedroom with balled fists and a tight scowl on his face.

"My mother-"

"If she blames you, then fuck her too!" Theo growled, efficiently silencing every one of Draco's insecurities. It was unusual for Theo to allow himself to be consumed with anger because it reminded him too much of his father's violent tantrums. On the rare occasion his best mate expressed this sort of emotion, Draco knew he was probably right. If Nott stood for anything, it was to fix the injustices of the world. He'd always wished someone had stepped in for him when his father would beat or punish him, so he made it his life's work to become a voice for the weak when he could. Because of his unfortunate family name, the opportunity to help others directly was rare for Theo, so he mostly threw his money at any charity supporting a cause he believed in. Given the chance, Theo would be a worthy champion for any lost cause.

"In a way, I'm only mourning the man he was before," Draco admitted. They both knew "before" always meant "before the return of the Dark Lord". Although Nott Sr. had always been a terrible father, it became worse as he rose in the Death Eater ranks. For some reason, he thought he was punishing Theo by not allowing him to take the Mark. If only Lucius felt the same, Draco would have been spared from being branded by the madman.

"You know I could never fault you for grieving for your father, but I won't allow you to feel guilty. You deserve happiness, Draco," Theo said earnestly. He stopped his pacing and poured them both another drink.

April 11, 2003

"Hermione?" Harry yelled desperately, bursting through the Floo. "Where are you? I need you, now!" his voice caught on the last words. The curly-haired witch was wrapped in her favorite quilt made of Gryffindor red and gold and reading a new book in the comfort of the sitting room when she heard her best friend's voice. He should be out to dinner with Ginny, but it was only 7 o'clock in the evening.

"Are you alright?" Hermione called as she ran to the kitchen. What she found broke her heart. Harry was leaning over the sink as if he'd just been sick, his hands clutching at his wild hair.

"It's over," he breathed with his eyes squeezed shut as if he were under the immense pain of a Cruciatus Curse. His body shook with silent tears. "Ginny...she ended it," the tortured wizard whispered. "Said she wanted to take the Ministry's tests."

"Oh, Harry. I'm so sorry!" Hermione wrapped her arms, blanket and all, around him, and he cried into her hair. The poor man was distraught. Eventually, she settled him into the sofa she'd just abandoned and made them both some tea.

"You don't seem surprised," Harry said matter-of-factly after a long stretch of silence and his tears were exhausted. Hermione pressed her lips together. She'd hoped he wouldn't notice her lack of astonishment, but he gave her a knowing look.

"If I'm honest, I thought she was going to break it off ages ago. Perhaps, it took this new law to evaluate what she really wants in life," she shrugged, hoping he wouldn't be angry with her.

"So I'm a complete arse for not seeing this coming? How long have you known?" Harry grumbled as he dropped his head into his hands. "Did everyone know?"

"You're not an arse, Harry! These things are tough to see when you're the one involved in the situation. Merlin, just look at all the times I thought I could make it work with Ron! You knew we weren't good together from the start, but I wouldn't have listened had you said something and neither would you if I'd brought this up earlier," Hermione explained as she forced him to look into her eyes. He squeezed her hand. "No one ever mentioned it to me if they knew this was coming," she offered him a sad smile.

"I just...I thought I finally had control of my own life, yet here I am having my decisions stolen from me again. If it weren't for this law…" he shook his head. Hermione leaned in to wrap her arms around her defeated friend.

"This may not help, but in a way, it is better to find out you and Ginny weren't meant to be before you were married rather than years from now. Just think, Harry, there is a witch out there perfectly suited for you. It might not seem like it, but this has to be a blessing in disguise."

"Thanks, Hermione. You're always so bloody logical, and I hope you're right, but I just...can't…," he trailed off. "How can I fall for another witch when I've thought I was in love with Ginny since I was 16 years old? I've never even been with anyone else," he worried. "Bloody hell, I've only ever kissed one other girl," he said, slumped over in defeat. It broke Hermione's heart to see Harry this way, but she really believed it was probably for the best. Of course, she couldn't blame Ginny. Dating Harry Potter was a lot of pressure for the young witch. The tabloids had been questioning her motives for evading marriage for years. It must be difficult to have such heavy expectations thrust upon her. In the end, she and Harry were both Hermione's friends. She'd have to reach out to Ginny later. Molly was probably giving her daughter an earful of her unsolicited opinion on the matter at this very moment.

April 15, 2003

"I'm so grateful you even agreed to see me," Ginny let out a sigh of relief before hugging Hermione tightly. "Merlin, I thought you'd hate me forever," she chuckled uncomfortably as she dropped into her seat. Judging by the empty wine glass gleaming in the sunlight of their lovely outdoor table, the younger witch had been waiting for a while. They'd decided to wait to meet in person since Harry was beyond heartbroken and needed Hermione's support over the weekend. Fortunately, they both had similar appointment times for their fertility tests at St. Mungo's, so they'd met for lunch at a Muggle cafe before the Ministry's invasive examination.

"Believe me, Gin, I completely understand," she assured the ginger witch. Sometimes it seems easier to do what people expect of you even if you aren't really...happy," Hermione said, raising an eyebrow at her friend.

"How long have you known?" Ginny wondered as she nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"It doesn't matter. I think that in the end, you did the right thing, and eventually Harry will see that too," she said with a small smile. "Do I even need to ask what your mother thinks about all this?" Both witches laughed. Ginny had witnessed the dressing down Molly gave to Hermione the first time she and Ron broke it off. The older witch didn't care that their first breakup was mutual because according to Mrs. Weasley, they belonged together.

"You know exactly what that woman thought!" Ginny giggled into her glass before taking a big sip. "You should have seen her face when I told her that if Harry and I were meant to be, the tests would prove that," she grinned widely though it morphed into a sad smile after a moment. "I can't imagine who I might be paired with after all of this," she said suddenly, waving her hand through the air around her, "but do you think it is strange that I already feel jealous of whatever witch is lucky enough to be Harry's true love?" she locked her gaze on the ground as if she were ashamed of her feelings.

"As I told Harry, there is someone out there that is close to perfect for you, and my hope is that we will be so consumed with learning everything we can about whoever our match may be that we won't have room for jealousy," Hermione assured her.

"Merlin, I need you to be right about this! I tried so hard to be in love with him because he really is wonderful...but...he feels more like one of my brothers than anything else," Ginny admitted, dropping her head into her hands.

"It'll take time, but I think you'll both find a way to be happy for one another. Don't beat yourself up over it, Gin," Hermione said kindly, squeezing her friend's hand.

Just then, none other than Draco Malfoy and Theodore Nott strolled out of the main restaurant, surprisingly sporting Muggle suits. It felt like time stood still as Hermione and Malfoy locked eyes. She half expected him to call her a Mudblood, but his face was controlled and didn't reveal any ill intentions.

"Afternoon, ladies," he greeted them with a curt nod while Nott offered an uneasy smile as they walked by.

"Looks like those Slytherin gits certainly grew into their looks over the years. If they weren't such complete twats, I'd be disappointed about having no chance of being paired with another pureblood," Ginny giggled when the two wizards were a few paces away.

"Ginny!" Hermione admonished, whipping her head around to make sure the youngest Weasely hadn't been overheard. Unfortunately, Blaise Zabini rounded the corner by their table at that very instant, smirking at the witches as he jogged to catch up to his friends. Although Hermione secretly agreed that her former enemies had filled out quite nicely, she certainly didn't want them to know that information.

"What?" Ginny shrugged innocently. "It's not like they'll be in the pool of possible matches anyway." Hermione envied her ability to shrug things off. She supposed being the younger sister to six older brothers gave Ginny skin too tough to be embarrassed about what a couple of old schoolmates thought of her.

May 23, 2003

"You'll never guess what wizards go through for that godawful fertility testing!" Harry exclaimed as soon as he burst through the Floo. He wore a smile that Hermione had missed in the past month since the breakup. The sight of his boyish grin was refreshing after so many nights of misery.

"Unless it's worse than having a phallic-shaped, metal instrument shoved inside of your most private area, it couldn't have been that terrible," Hermione countered, taking a sip of her tea as the dark-haired wizard reared back in disgust.

"What? Why would they…? Are you being serious?" he cringed, his nose still wrinkled up as if he smelled something terrible. Hermione simply laughed and nodded her affirmation.

"To be fair, they did warn us they'd be using Muggle techniques for some of the tests, but I certainly wasn't expecting that," she cringed just thinking of that awful exam. "What do wizards have to do?" the curly-haired witch wondered thoughtfully. Though she was raised by Muggles, Hermione entered the wizarding world far too early for Muggle medical practices to be the norm for her. From the age of eleven, she'd seen Healers at St. Mungo's like every other witch and wizard she knew.

"They had to collect a semen sample!" he exclaimed, still surprised by this recent experience. "You'll never guess how they did it!" his face flushed, and he chuckled nervously. This was a topic she'd surprisingly never read about or given any thought to, but if Harry was this embarrassed, it explained why Ron had been so standoffish after his appointment last week.

"Merlin, I'm afraid to ask," she replied, hiding her smile behind her hand.

"You have to fill a cup with your...stuff! It was so bloody embarrassing," he slapped his palm against his forehead. "They hand you this little cup and shove you in this closet-sized room with some, -er...special magazines. The worst part is that there is this chair in the room that you just know every other wizard before you has used it to do the same thing you are about to do!" he blurted out through his laughter. Hermione nearly spat out her tea in response.

"That's awful, Harry!" she giggled uncontrollably.

"Wait! It gets better," the raven-haired wizard flailed his arms in the air, attempting to quiet her laughter. "As I was about to...you know...finish," he made a crude hand gesture, "I heard a Healer tell some wizard to wait outside the door for his turn," Harry could hardly say the words he was laughing so hard. "...and...when...I...opened...the...door… it-was-Theo-sodding-Nott," he rushed out the last part in a squeak. Tears streamed down both their faces from laughing so hard. It was so wonderful to see Harry happy that she hardly caught his next words. "The tosser winked at me...WINKED!" he banged his hands against the table and drew in long, silent bouts of laughter, the kind that strained one's abs when they were finally sound enough to feel their aching muscles.

"No!" Hermione exclaimed. Harry just nodded emphatically, unable to stop his laughter. "He's one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. I wonder if any more from that lot chose to be matched by the Ministry," she said seriously, the thought effectively sobering her. Of course, she'd seen the article speculating that Malfoy had probably signed up for the program after his father's death, but she doubted he'd risk being paired with someone he found inferior to himself. The Ministry had remained quiet about the names of those who'd signed up for an appointed spouse. Eligible parties only had until September to make their decision before the results would be released. Even though the Minister had alluded to using Hermione, Ron, and Harry's names in their first meeting with him, he only publicly revealed that members of the Golden Trio had volunteered to be matched. Everyone just assumed it was Hermione and Ron since news of Harry and Ginny's split had also been kept under wraps.

"I'm sure most of them will go through with their pureblood weddings if they haven't already," Harry assured her. "For them, it's mostly their parent's choice anyway."

Even though her best friend seemed sure there was little to no chance of being paired with one of their former enemies, something niggled at Hermione's mind. If Nott hadn't chosen a pureblood bride, there was a strong possibility that he wouldn't be alone in his choice.

A/N - Thank you for reading! Please leave feedback if you are so inclined.