Apparating into Adrian's apartment the modern bachelor-esque décor instantly hit Hermione. Cool blues and highly polished silvery-black metal met her eyes and spread all over the lounge room and adjoining kitchen. A small scattering of photos was on the top of a high shelf, and Hermione pushed out of his hold to have a look. Straining on her tiptoes she could see Adrian with his parents at what looked like the Hogwarts graduation and another of Adrian and a young woman. Trying not to let it worry her, Hermione focused on the last photo that was by far the largest. It was a group of men in Quidditch uniforms. She could make out Marcus' large form, Draco's signature blond locks and Blaise's coffee coloured skin, but the rest were strangers to her. She found Adrian's face in the photo, and his smile made her heart melt slightly. He looked so happy. Her mind was forced back to the second photo and so were her eyes. The same magnificent smile was on his features. Now she felt a twang of guilt and maybe a smidgeon of jealousy if she was honest with herself. What if he had been in a happy relationship and this had –she had- broken it?

Adrian must have seen the movement of her head and guessed her internal battle. He moved behind her, slipped an arm around her and dropped a light kiss on the back of her neck. He like the way that she shivered slightly, and goose bumps erupted over her shoulders.

"That's my sister, Aria; she went to Beauxbatons. She's a year younger than you are. You'll have to meet her and my parents. They are going to adore you. You wouldn't believe how much mum was going on about me settling down and having children. Then after it was announced that they were using a spell, she started panicking that I'd be matched with someone as old as her or younger than Aria. It would have been funny except for the fact it was me as the focus of her worry," he said while guiding her to the couch. She could see a large chrome and black clock mounted on the wall. She still had three hours to get ready for dinner, but she knew that it would take every second to make her presentable enough. Deciding that she didn't mind being a little late and remembering that she had a fashion guru for help, she figured that she could afford to sit and relax with Adrian. She settled back into the cushion and then sat straight again.

"I feel so selfish. Your sister, was she part of the women who were part of the ceremony, or do they consider her a part of the French community?" Hermione asked. Adrian's face changed fractionally, and she caught the sadness of the expression before it was lost.

"Actually, she's in the Janus Thickey Ward. During the war, she was taken by snatchers and spelled repeatedly for information, but as she went to a different school and had no contact with any Hogwarts students she was dumped back in her room to be found the next morning," Adrian spoke with a no-nonsense tone and gave only the facts. She knew the coping mechanism of trying to detach one's self from the situation because she used it frequently herself. Hermione could feel the tears welling in her eyes and drip onto her cheek. She threw herself at Adrian. He caught her and squeezed hard, needing the hug as much as she did.

"I am so sorry. I had no idea," she said as she felt him put his hurt and pain into the hug to be soothed by her. As Greg had done last night for her, she absorbed all of his and patted his hair to calm him down.

After sitting together like that for a few more moments, Adrian pulled away and brushed Hermione's fallen tears away.

"Hermione, if it wasn't for you and what you did she still would have been a part of this. You don't have to be sorry. You saved her, so she doesn't have to worry about husbands or children. She gets to live out her life in relative peace. Truth be told, I should be thanking you. Now, no more tears. Let's go and make you even more stunning. I want the rest of them to fall off their chairs when they see you," he said while pulling her up off of the couch and taking her towards what she assumed was his room.

The room, that Hermione was lead to, was a far cry from the almost sterile outer rooms of the apartment. This room had rich cream coloured walls and was decorated with brass trimmings. Even the door handle and light switches gave off a warm orange-gold. The carpet was lush and a soft cream colour that matched the walls, and a large wooden bed sat in the middle of it. Her mouth had fallen open at the elegance and warmth, and Adrian closed it with two fingers as he strode past her towards the bed. He pulled the boxes out of his pocket and found the one that contained her wardrobe. While he went about enlarging her clothes and sorting through them, Hermione made her way towards the bed to stand next to him. Barely a minute had passed before a large pile of clothes had been thrust into her arms.

"Here you go. Have a shower, relax, and then try these on. I'll see what I can magic up if I find something that I like, and I'll send out the invites for tonight whilst you're in there," Adrian said while pointing Hermione in the direction of the bathroom and giving her a gentle push.

Going through the door, Hermione was again staggered by the warmth and even homey feeling of his bathroom. The dark chocolate colour of the wall tiles and marble benches complimented the brass fixtures. A set of fluffy milk chocolate coloured towels sat on the counter with a rose. When had he had the time to do that? Blushing at his thoughtfulness or at his preparedness, Hermione slipped out of her work clothes and jumped into the large frosted glass shower. The spray started immediately, and the water pressure adjusted as soon as she stepped under the stream while a sweet vanilla and mint scent filled the misty air around her. Sighing deeply as the shower magically washed her, Hermione thought about the last few days. Imagining each instance that she was stressed or angry or ready to burst into tears, she focused her anguish into the tips of her fingers and released it. She repeated the technique twice more just in case she missed something. This meditation technique came from all of those long nights spent in the Hogwarts' library. Knowing how to maintain the balance of her magic through the control of her emotions had been immeasurably beneficial to her helping Harry and achieving so well in her classes. Pulling herself out of her mind, she stepped out of the water with the stream automatically shutting off in her wake. She stepped onto the bath matt and grabbed one of the magically warmed towels. Dry and charmed with moisturiser, she stepped into one of the many dresses Adrian had picked out. The dress fluttered against the floor, but its length was countered by its plunging neckline and thigh-high slit. Recalling the many reasons that she had to not kill Ginny the next time she saw her, Hermione slid the bathroom door open and stepped out.

"I'm not going to lie; this isn't really working for me," Hermione said while gesturing to herself. "This was a gift from Ginny. She said that it was supposed to make me more confident, but I never wore it. It's not really me and…" Hermione trailed off as Adrian held up a hand to silence her.

"Whilst I understand how you are feeling, I must say that you look exquisite. However, you are right as this is not the dress that is suitable for tonight. It will be put on the back burner for later though," Adrian said tilting his head and raising an eyebrow as she began to protest. Sighing in defeat, Hermione returned to the bathroom to continue the fashion parade of doom.

2 hours later

Hermione emerged for what felt like the millionth time. Her hair was now dried and styled, and her make up was complete in dark blues and silver.

"This is one of the last dresses, Ade. I swear that if you don't pick something soon I am walking out of here in jeans and a sweatshirt. Before you even say anything, yes, I would dare," Hermione stopped then and did a small spin before dropping her arms in defeat. "Is this one you like? I mean I know it's olive green, but you could change the colour and the length, make it longer maybe?" She was still wringing her fingers behind her back when Adrian approached with his wand drawn. Forcing herself not to step back or flinch, Hermione watched Adrian as he cast several different spells on the dress. Looking down at his improvements (turning it to the colour of the sky at midnight and, much to Hermione's chagrin, making it a good two inches shorter) she decided that they had made all the difference. She wrapped her arms around his neck and nearly sobbed in relief that he had finally picked an outfit.

"Whoa kitten, easy there. You look spectacular. Now I only have forty-five minutes to get myself ready, this level of perfection doesn't just happen," he said with a wink. He then left, and Hermione went to sit on the bed while waiting for him to finish getting ready.

True to his word, Adrian did take the remaining forty-five minutes. Stepping out of the Floo into the study in Malfoy Manor Hermione barely repressed the shudder that she felt as the wards warped and quietly protested around her. Beginning to regret coming here again, she looked to Adrian for support. He took her hand and squeezed gently. Geeze, two days ago I hadn't even spoken to him before, now look at me. Hermione almost hated her slight weakness at this endeavour, but Adrian's warm hand around hers distracted her from the self-loathing. Also, luckily for her, Adrian seemed to know where he was going. Through the long ornate hallways, they went until Hermione could just hear the deep rumble of males in conversation. Stopping, Adrian adjusted her dress before pressing a kiss to her forehead. She guessed since she was so short it was going to become an even more common occurrence. Nervously, she took a shuddering breath, entered the room, and came face to face with her fourteen other husbands.

Silence fell as she stepped into the room. Her attention was immediately drawn to the high moulded ceiling that was edged in gold with intricate filigree that was clearly seen despite the distance.

"Is that a zoom charm on your ceiling, Mr. Malfoy? I mean it's beautiful and the effect is staggering, but how on earth did you think of using that in such a way?" Hermione said awed and still not taking her eyes away. She had effectively broken the silence and the conversation had resumed. Lucius made his way towards his entranced soon-to-be- but-for-all-intents-and-purposes wife. With a light hand on the small of her back, he effectively drew her attention from the ceiling to him, and a slight blush stained her cheeks at the contact.

"I would be more than happy to explain everything about my ceiling to you, but perhaps we should sit down for dinner and go over those rules that are to be dictating our lives," Lucius said while guiding her, with his hand now more firmly pressed into the flat of her lower back. Hermione could feel each finger through the fabric of the dress and blushed more ardently as he bent and spoke quietly into her ear, "I must say that you look stunning tonight. I am very pleased with your choice of attire." Before she could recover and say that it was all Adrian, she was seated and Lucius had moved to take his place a few seats away. Momentarily stunned, not only from his words but their husky tone and the way that his lips had slightly grazed her ear's shell, she hadn't noticed the two wizards sitting on either side of her.

"Hermione? Are you ok? You look flustered." Charlie said as he laid his hand over hers and ran his thumb in slow strokes along her knuckles.

"Yes, what has your attention so monopolised, Miss Granger?" Severus said from her other side. His low baritone broke the last of her daydream.

"Oh, what? Yes, sorry. Though, Professor, I think that we should be calling each other by our first names, considering the circumstances," she said turning her head to meet his eye and caught the inky darkness before he looked across the table at Charlie who nodded.

"Indeed Hermione, I think we should," suddenly Hermione's ex-professor rose from his seat and departed with a slight bow, only to be replaced with a suave looking Sirius Black.

"Sirius? Alright, what is going on?" Hermione asked with raised eyebrows. Chuckling, he reached over and smoothed the slightly wrinkled flesh between her eyes with his fingertips.

"Well, we've had a few meetings and decided that the best thing for this situation, no matter how many of us approve or don't approve, is to take things slowly and get to know you individually," Sirius said as his fingers trailed down the side of her face and neck to rest on her shoulder.

"Wait, wait, wait. You had a few meetings? As in plural? You've had all of 48 hours, and the ones I know well in this group are not the most organised. Severus, Neville and Remus excluded of course. I demand an explanation right this second," her voice had gotten dangerously low and soft. Annoyed that she hadn't been kept in the loop, she scanned the table expectantly. They all started talking at once.

"Everyone, shut up!" a voice boomed over the ruckus. Mouths snapped shut and heads swivelled in the direction of Blaise. "Thank you. Charlie, switch?" Charlie got up and headed down towards the end of the table, clapping Blaise on the back as they passed each other.

"Oh for the love of Merlin, stop changing seats this is not a bloody birthday party and we aren't playing musical chairs. Tell me what the blast is going on or I swear on Aphrodite's bare arse that I'm walking out of here," Hermione's voice was now no longer low and soft, and Blaise cringed back from her mounting fury before he sat down.

"Cara, listen. We had our first discussion when you were passed out on the ministry couch. We all decided then that we would try our hardest to put aside our differences to make it easier for you, to make this work. Ah, before you start going on about how we wouldn't care for your feelings, you can't deny that you feel the bond that is now connecting all of us. You want us near you, and you want us to be safe and happy. It's not bad Cara, we all feel it too. That's why we had the second discussion. After you left with Greg, we all met up again after our various jobs…"

"Again wait. Stop. I want to know why you all just sudd…" Hermione started, but she was cut off by Blaise's hand gently covering her mouth.

"Please just listen. After I'm finished you can ask all the questions you wish. We will have questions for you as well once you tell us all about the supposed rules for this grouping. Now, where was I? Oh yes, you were with Greg, and when we were done with our activities we all met up again for a beer at the Leaky. It was fairly full, as you can imagine, but we had a table cleared for us, must have been our looks," Blaise paused then to give Hermione an exaggerated wink that caused a small tittering of feminine giggles. Clapping a hand over her mouth, horrified at the girly outburst, Hermione shook her head and gestured for Blaise to continue.

"… anyway, that night we agreed that you would need to have time alone with all of us before the wedding so that you feel comfortable enough to go through with it. We realised that, apart from a select few, we are largely strangers or at the most, friendly acquaintances. It was actually Fred's idea that we each get two dates during the next three weeks," Blaise finished with a large grin as he watched the cogs turning as she did the rudimentary maths in her head and then frowned at the results.

"So three weeks and thirty dates? Are you all freaking crazy? Not only do I have a 'wedding' to plan, but I have to continue to do at least part-time work. I run a business, for those of you who remember. The grand opening was about three days after the declaration of the impending marriage law? That magical ancestry and lore bookshop? I know for a fact that a few of you have been in there. I only have two employees, and they can't just pull seven days a week. Not to mention that I have researched for said business. I have clie…" again cut off by Blaise's hand Hermione glared dangerously but didn't move to take his hand away. A new set of hands landed on her shoulder.

"Thirty dates in three weeks isn't as bad as it seems. You could knock them over in ten days if you tried, one for breakfast, one for lunch and one for dinner; but I thought that you might want some breathing space in between. Also, we had already thought of your shop and those of us who can are going to work in there with you and you're workers until the wedding business is finished. You are going to be our wife after all, and we couldn't possibly leave you to have a nervous breakdown before we even had a chance to have any fun," Fred spoke calmly while kneading her shoulders. The massage made Hermione close her eyes and lean her head forward and her shoulders back to give him more access.

"Not to mention, we all have got various fun, exciting, and fairly distracting plans for our dates. This is going to be a fun three weeks," George said from further down the table.

"Well, now that the matter of our meetings. They are agreed upon, our uncharacteristic pleasant behaviour has been addressed partly and you know that we all care for you, I think that we should be turning to the rules that apply to us," Remus' voice rang out over the murmuring. All eyes flicked to Hermione, who had already pulled two pieces of parchment out from her undetectably extended clutch.

"Unfortunately for us, there are at least two types of regulations that we are now governed by the rules set by the spell and the rules set by the Ministry. However, there are separate rules for you guys and me. Regarding the initial two sets of rules. While similar, the Ministry goes in a different direction from the spell's, not really surprising though," Hermione said while shaking her head and then she duplicated the pieces of paper and passed them down the table.

"I'll read the ones from the spell first:

One: there is no room for argument or negotiation in the choosing of partner/partners. Any pairings made are final in accordance with traditional binding laws. The needs of the witch are taken into consideration when the partner/partners are being chosen. The partner/partners, in number and personality, are specifically tailored towards the witch that is casting the spell.

Two: a series of spells and charms are invoked upon the activation of the spell during the ritual. These include various energy, health, and fertility ones. A list of these can be found in any spells and rituals manual, but as the list is extensive it will not be provided," after reading this Hermione dove into her bag again and pulled out another parchment to duplicate and pass around.

"I figured that we would all want to know what we were being spelled with, but since I can assure you that there is nothing detrimental going on, I'll skip reading the list. Ok, moving on.

Three: attached to the spell is a safety clause. Whenever the witch is not in the presence of her partner/partners for longer than an hour emergency apparition will occur and take the partner/partners to the witch. This ends after the witch becomes pregnant with the first child.

I cannot fathom why there is an end to the ridiculous clause nor why it is when she becomes even more vulnerable but there it is.

Four: each partner/partners will conceive a child. The order is not predetermined, but once a child is conceived, if there are other partners, the father will not have the capability to impregnate the witch again until the others have. At this point, all of the partners will then be able to impregnate the witch again.

Five: once pregnant the witch must have a partner at least or multiple partners ideally with her at all times, to ensure the safety of her and the unborn child. There is a spell to help ensure this, but it is expected of the partner/partners to maintain vigilance.

Well, that's all from the paper that the Ministry sent out from the actual ritual. Any questions so far?" Hermione asked patiently, even though she was getting annoyed after reading the rules again. She knew that she would be getting angrier at the Ministry ones.

"I think it's simple enough to understand at this point, so let's see what the ministry has to say," Draco said quietly. Hermione realised that this was the first time that they had heard the spell rules and apparently the Ministry rules too. Kingsley wouldn't be having a very good Monday once she was through with him.

"Right, the Ministry's rules. They are kind of the same but have different priorities.

One: each eligible witch must participate. The only exceptions being those who are in a mental or medical facility or those who choose to have their wand snapped and magic rendered inert."

At this point, Hermione paused letting the full weight of what the women of the British Wizarding community had had to decide descend on each of her husbands. A collective breath was expelled heavily, and Hermione knew that her men understood.

"Two: a marriage is to occur within the first two months after the ritual is performed.

I'd like to point out at this stage that I only have a month because I'm expected to be one of the first to actually go through with the marriage part, as Fred well knows with his little date plan; but I digress.

Two continued: each witch must perform a traditional wizarding marriage ceremony that is preceded over by a member of the Wizengamot.

Three: each witch is expected to become pregnant by the end of two years after the wedding date. Any witch that doesn't become pregnant will be treated by the staff at St. Mungo's and will remain at the hospital until they become pregnant. Women who are unable to become pregnant will be charged a fine. Each woman is expected to have at least two children to each partner.

I'll skip over how barbaric that is in favour of not going on a murder spree once I get worked up.

Four: women will be required to put in for leave from work. This will be to accommodate the wedding, the pregnancy, and the acclimation to the new living situation.

Five: all women are required to relocate to a dwelling that fits the number of partners they receive and they must also take into consideration the addition of children.

Six: each male will get a monthly ministry contribution to help assist with living expenses.

Seven: Ministry officials will be making weekly checks on how all rules are being observed, until the point of conception of the first child.

No, I am not joking or making any of these up. For the record, I am extremely angry over these rules," the clenching of her jaw made the words come out slightly strangled. Blaise reached for her hands and pressed kisses to the backs of them.

"I can't believe that we weren't shown these before now. What about the men whose wives won't sit down and read it out to them or copy it to them? I mean we lucked out with you, Hermione," Adrian said. His voice was filled with quiet outrage that slowly morphed into what seemed like appreciation. Hermione shook her head.

"I tried to overthrow a few of these rules, but I was dismissed. However, I did make sure all of the women got the message that these rules were something they each needed to discuss with their husband or husbands," she said sadly. A few moments of silence dragged out but was interrupted by food popping into existence in front of each person.