*Just a note, I have decided to make Kara and Tristan from Louisiana, specifically New Orleans cause I want them to have Cajun accents. And also I got a personal message asking how Merick is pronounced, and it is M-air-ick. Also I apologize if I spell any of the houses wrong, I can't for the life of me remember the spelling. And I apologize that the update took longer then I said it would, but I had to come up with a direction I wanted this story to go in because I couldn't remember my original plot*

The carriage ride to the school was for the most part uneventful, except for Kara and Harry occasionally bickering, until the castle came into view. The new students were in awe. "This place is an actual fucking castle?" exclaimed Carmen. "Well Kara we won't make it to a single class, we're too directionally challenged," she laughed.

"Hmmm maybe they'll get lost forever and I'll actually have some peace and qui- OW! GOD DAMN IT KARA! Stop throwing shit at me!" Tristan growled out at his sister, rubbing the right side of his chest.

"Now you know how painful it would be without me in your life Cher." Kara giggled back. Damn, that accent his hot, Harry thought with a smirk.

"You're smiling creepily. Stop it," whispered Ron.

The carriages pulled up to the front steps of the castle and all the students climbed out of the carriage and proceeded to climb the front steps.

"What's the deal with you guys? Are you already sorted?" Ginny asked as they passed through the doors to the Great Hall.

"You guys are supposed to follow me into a side room where we'll wait with the Head Boy until all the first years have been sorted," Hermione said as she began to lead the way to a door at the other end of the Hall. The new students trailed after her, looking around in amazement. "This ceiling is so fucking trippy…." they could hear Merick say before they drew out of ear shot. Harry couldn't help but stare at Kara's ass under her rolled over skirt…..

"Harry stop looking at her like that, you're practically drooling. Besides, if Merick catches you looking at his girlfriend like that he won't hesitate to beat you. He may not look it, but he's a cowboy underneath all the piercings and tattoos." Neville said as he clapped Harry on the back and began heading towards Gryffindor table. Harry felt a sinking feeling in his chest he couldn't understand. He didn't even like this girl. Sure, she was hot but she was a serious pain in his ass.

"She's dating Merick? You could never tell by looking at them." Ron commented as they settled down in their places on either side of the table

"I know right? But they've been together two years."

"SILENCE!" Professor McGonagal's magically magnified voice came from the front of the hall. They all turned to see the elderly witch standing behind the owl podium. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" She received thunderous applause from all four tables. "As you can see our wonderful castle has been returned to its former glory over the summer. Now this year, there is going to be a few changes. The first of those changes is that we have a number of students coming in from a school in America. The reason for these students arrival will be revealed to the sixth and seventh years at the end of this feast if you would be so kind as to stay behind. Now, onto the sorting! First we'll have the new first years." At her words Hermione came out of the room off the front of the hall, leading a line of first years.

"Ouuu I hope the new kids we met get sorted into our house!" Ginny quietly squealed as they returned to the conversation, clapping politely whenever their house received a new student.

"Me too, I really miss those guys during the year, it'd be nice to have all my friends living together." Neville said with a smile.

Harry was torn. He knew if he and Kara were in the same house they would probably kill each other. But still, he wanted her to be in his house.

"Alright, now that the first years are over with, let us welcome our transfer students!" At that, Draco Malfoy led a group of about ten students into the great hall.

"When your name is called, please sit on the stool. I will place the hat on your head, and your house will be announced. After you know your house, please proceed to the appropriate table. Carmen Edwards." They watched Carmen's blonde head move from the middle of the crowd of students. She proceeded up the dais to sit on the stool. Professor McGonagal had just placed the hat on her head when the tear that served as the hat's mouth opened wide and announced, "Slytherin!" The Slytherin table, which had much diminished number, erupted into cheers and applause.

"How could Carmen be in Slytherin? She seemed so nice!" squawked Ginny as Carmen stepped off the dais, heading towards the seats at the Slytherin table.

"Carmen is nice. I've known her for a long time and she's a great person, but she does definitely have some Slytherin worthy attributes." Neville responded as he clapped politely.

"Besides Ginny, it doesn't really matter what house she's in. If there's anything to be learned from the war it's that we can't judge people that way." Ron said as he gave his sister a look for being so judgemental, which was surprising coming from Ron, the hater of all Slytherin's.

"Karoline Ely!" Harry felt himself tense up as he watched Kara sit on the stool and have the hat placed on her head. The hat remained silent for a moment or two before shouting out, "Gryffindor!." Their house erupted into cheers, the loudest ones being their group of friends. Kara started walking down the isle to take her seat on the other side of Neville, and Harry noticed as she walked a lot of male heads were turning her way.

"Tristan Ely!" Tristan clapped Merick and Ty on the shoulders on his way up the dais. After a moment of deliberation the hat announced, "Gryffindor!" They once again erupted into cheers and Tristan hurriedly made his way to sit opposite his sister.

The next student was one they did not know, so they all turned back towards each other.

"I'm really sad I'm not with Carmen! We've been roommates since we started school!" Kara said with a pout.

"You're sad? What's Carmen gonna do without you in the mornings? No one else will literally climb up on her bed and kick her out when she's being lazy," Tristan said with a laugh as he took a bite of a breadstick.

"Tyler Jones!" They all watched Ty lazily amble up to the stool and shove the hat on his head at a strange angle. It only took a split second before the hat said, "Gryffindor!" Ty tossed the hat back to McGonagal and sauntered his way over to the table.

"Poor Carmen, at this rate she's gonna be a loner," Ty said as he threw himself on the bench next to Ron, turning to wave his fingers towers the Slytherin table. They all turned towards the table where Carmen was sitting, and laughed as she stuck her bottom lip out and began to pretend to cry.

"Merick Narraway!" Merick was the last of the new students to be sorted. He walked up to the stool and placed the hat on his head. The hat was silent for a few minutes. The students around the hall began to get restless and were mumbling amongst themselves.

"I've never seen the hat take this long to sort someone," Seamus whispered as he leaned in towards their group. As soon as he stopped talking, the hat drew a breath and proclaimed, "SLYTHERIN!" Merick looked startled for a moment before he took off the hat, replaced it on the stool, and began to proceed towards the Slytherin table. Harry noticed him and Kara exchange a sad look as he took his seat next to Carmen, who looked very pleased to have one of her friends sorted into her house. They all turned their attention back to the front of the hall.

"Before we begin our feast, let me remind the sixth and seventh year students to please remain in the great hall at the end of the feast." McGonagal said, with a strange look on her face that sort of looked like a mix of pity and regret.

"Well guys, welcome to Gryffindor!" Ron said brightly as the food began to appear on the tables.

"It sucks that we weren't all in the same house though. Back in the states we don't have sections like you guys do, so no matter what we were always all together." Kara said sadly.

"Speaking of Houses, what's the dorm situation like around here?" Ty asked as he shoved a huge piece of steak in his mouth.

"Oh look it's like we have another Ron," Hermione stated as she took a sip of her pumpkin juice. Ron and Ty, cheeks bulging with food, turned to each other with confused looks, shrugged, and proceeded to go back to shoving their faces full of food. The rest of their group erupted into laughter.

"Here we have the four houses. Each house has it's own separate common rooms and dorms. There's girls and guys dorms and you share a room with the people in your year," Harry explained, pointedly not looking a the sad look on Kara's face.

"Ew. In our old school we only shared with one other person." Tristan wrinkled his face at the thought of so many people in one room. Talk just bounced from topic to topic, mainly about the workings of the school. The feast soon began to wrap up.

"So why do you guys think we have to stay behind after the feast? Were you guys told why you were being transferred here?" Ginny asked as they came to the end of their meal.

"No idea. But I know a bunch of other kids were transferred in and out of our school. So it must be something going on with all of the magical schools." Kara supplied as their plates cleared themselves. The younger students began to rise and head towards the doors at the end of the hall. The usual chaos of the prefects trying to track down the first years began to ensue. Soon the only people left in the hall were the older students and the teachers. The teachers all rose from the table and made their way to the base of the dais.

"Thank you for staying behind. We have an announcement for you that I'm afraid you are not going to like. Before I tell you, just let me say that myself, as well as a number of other prominent people in the wizarding community around the world tried to prevent this. The loss of lives was stretched world-wide during the war. There has been a significant decrease of population in the wizarding world. The Ministries of Magic all came together this summer in a summit to discuss this issue. They have come up with a solution in the form of a marriage law. The Law decrees that any unmarried witch or wizard between the ages of 17 and 30 are required to get married to partners assigned to you by the ministry within a months time. You will be required to conceive a child within your first year of marriage, and two more within the next 5 years. Those of you who have just started here have been moved here so that you and your partner will be in the same place. There will for the most part be no pureblood to pureblood pairings. The only way that will happen is if your best match happens to be a pureblood. Before you all start protesting let me be clear: there is no escape from this law. Not unless you want to have your wand stopped and be banned from the wizarding world forever."

The silence that followed this announcement was deafening. Every student in the hall was in shock. Nobody spoke a word until Draco Malfoy shouted out," YOU HAVE TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME!"