By the time Draco felt the hunger pains indicating that it was lunch time Kingsley and he had only just started in on the head of the department; said person had come into work late so they had been interrogating the rest of the workers. Draco smirked at the man sitting at his desk as the head of his department as he was lectured by the Minister.
"This is no time for departments to be taking any matters of any importance to the Wizengamot so they can approve it before I can even take a look at it! Fudge may have willingly signed papers of these sorts but I refuse! I much prefer to read what laws and regulations that are being processed so I can input my voice as the MINISTER before a council of uptight-stuck in their ways- old buggers!
The next time any department attempts this, they will be shut down until ALL members can be replaced by people I know will not try and turn this Ministry back around to how it was when Fudge was Minister." Draco tuned out the minister for a few minutes to walk around the room to see what there was.
Kingsley was not having a good morning and from what he had heard all morning from the employees in this department and now from the head of The Department of Magical Nuptials he was about ready to just fire the man. The man he was currently yelling his head off at was sitting further and further back in his chair but the defiant glare was still in his eyes. A few minutes after Draco tuned the minister out he found a few pieces of paper on a desk a few feet from the main desk in the room.
As he read what there was he noticed there were several letters from a one Rita Skeeter and a few parents of prominent families lying about as well as a list with names of people, still alive, that were born from 1978 to 1982. He read the letters and noticed how a lot of them were asking for this law, and were dated 3 months prior to now. He went on to read the letters from Rita and noticed that she had her input on the couplings and how she was the one that came up with the 'any prior relationships, marriage contracts, or engagements of any kind shall be dissolved' part of the law.
"Minister, I think you'll want to read these, here is some evidence that he had help from an outside source to make the law; which is illegal; as well as several people who asked him to make it in the first place." He picked the letters up from the parents and handed them over first and as he went to hand over the Skeeter letters the man behind the desk stood suddenly and waved his wand trying to get the letters back, but Draco had a firm grip on the letters and his own hand on his wand in his pocket to prevent any spells coming close to him or Kingsley. "Sit down you buffoon." He brought his hand out of his pocket and without his wand, cast a silencing spell and forced the man to sit down where some rope wrapped around his wrists.
Kingsley continued to read the letters, the look on his face becoming calmer and his body appeared to relax. The man sitting at the desk saw this as a good sign but Draco had seen the man like this once before, at the Final Battle, and had not liked the outcome of that. Draco smirked at the man stuck to the chair before picking up the list and reading it over before handing that to the Minister as well.
Potential Couples
Bole, Lucian – 1978 - Vane, Romilda- 1982
Boot, Terry- 1979 - Brocklehurst, Mandy- 1980
Carmichael, Eddie- 1979 - Edgecombe, Marietta- 1978
Corner, Michael- 1979 - W., Leanne- 1980
Davis, Roger- 1978 - Lovegood, Luna- 1981
Finch-Fletchy, Justin- 1980 - Fawcett, Sara- 1981
Finnigan, Seamus- 1980 - Greengrass, Daphne- 1980
Goldstein, Anthony- 1980 - Lympsham, Scarlett- 1982
Goyle, Gregory- 1980 - Bulstrode, Millicent- 1979
Jordan, Lee- 1978 - Chang, Cho- 1979
K., Derek- 1982 - Bones, Susan- 1980
Longbottom, Neville- 1980 - Abbott, Hannah- 1980
Macdougal, Morag- 1979 - Spinnet, Alicia-1978
Macmillan, Ernest- 1980 - Macdougal, Isobel- 1979
Malfoy, Draco- 1980 - Moon, Lily- 1981
Montaque, Graham- 1982 - Patil, Padma- 1979
Nott, Theodore1980 - Parkinson, Pansy- 1979
Potter, Harry- 1980 - Granger, Hermione- 1979
Pucey, Adrian- 1978 - Johnson, Angelina- 1978
Smith, Zacharias- 1981 - Patil, Parvati- 1979
Stretton, Jeremy- 1981 - Stimpson, Patricia- 1978
Thomas, Dean- 1980 - Davis, Tracey- 1980
Towler, Kenneth- 1978 - Bobbin, Melina- 1982
Vaisey, M.- 1982 - Perks, Sally- Anne- 1979
Warrington, C.- 1978 - Turpin, Lisa- 1980
Weasley, George- 1978 - Bell, Katie- 1979
Weasley, Ronald- 1980 - Greengrass, Astoria- 1982
Zabini, Blaise- 1979 - Weasley, Ginny- 1981
The page looked worn it, several female names had been added, marked out, and erased, the handwriting looking like a female wrote it, the print being graceful and elegant rather than; what Draco guessed by glancing at the man in his chair; blocking and barely readable. When they were both finished reading the list and going over the letters Kingsley put them down and turned to the man, sending him a glare before turning to Draco.
"Stay here and watch him." Draco nodded and leaned back against the counter he had picked the papers up from. Kingsley walked out and within ten minutes returned with three Aurors. "Arrest him for crimes against the youth as well as illegally getting outside influences to sway his judgment in passing a law, and disregarding previous laws set in place and engagements of other peoples. I'll find more charges but in the meantime get him out of here. Stenson, gather the evidence from the room, start at this desk and work around till you have it all."
The Aurors nodded before two started walking forward to the man and Draco let his spells release. Once the silencing spell and the ropes were off him he tried to crawl under his desk and escape yelling the whole time about Kingsley getting his own. Stenson caught the man as he had not been going around the side of the desk.
Draco sighed and followed the Minister out into the department and watched as he gathered everyone together and promptly let them go, saying the department was no longer fit to be run until further notice. By the time Draco and Kingsley made it back to his office he was sure the man was going to start blowing things apart but Kingsley calmly sat down and motioned for him to follow suit.
"Draco, I am sorry you had to see that, I do not often like to show that side of me. Now, I'm giving you a few days to think over what I proposed earlier and get back to me. I will get this sorted out, and if I cannot get the law itself to be nullified then I will amend it so that those on the list can pick their own spouses, or, even marry those they were originally going to marry, up to a month from now. I hate to do this, or let this go through, but at this point I can only do so much, even as Minister." Draco took a step forward and shook his hand and turned to leave before turning back to the Minister.
"As long as I end up with Hermione Granger, my Veela and I will be fine with whatever you decide." The slight shock on the older man's face was brief before it changed to understanding. "Good day Minister." Draco continued out the door and headed home.
"Don't go far Malfoy! Be in the Atrium by 3pm." Kingsley called out but Draco just kept walking. He decided to go to the cafeteria and order some 'food', if that's what it could be called here.
Hermione was surprised to say the least when the two Owls' came with new letters from the ministry; one carrying 3 letters, the other 2; this time though from the Minister himself calling for all those that had been named in the previous set of letters to come to the ministry at 3pm for a meeting with him. It was just after 1pm and they had just finished eating so that left them with nothing to do until late. Hermione made her way up to her room to read until they left, Ginny came up and gave Hermione a hug and sat with her for a few minutes before getting up and getting ready by changing out of her pajamas.
"I'm not mad you know?" Ginny turned toward Hermione as she slipped her day shirt on. The brunet sitting on the bed looked up slowly with a sheepish- apologetic look on her face.
"I know, but I still can't help but feel bad. I mean, if this goes through… I'll be married to Harry. He's a great guy and all, but not someone I see myself with, at this point," she looked back to her lap, her book slowly closing and her fingers fidgeting, "neither is your brother." She shrugged and tried to not sniffle as the tears slowly started making their way down her face.
"Oh 'Mione!" Ginny crawled onto the bed, still just in a shirt and her underwear, and embraced her friend. "'Mione, things haven't been as easy as they should have been for everyone after the war ended, I know that, but this is the time to grab the future and make the best out of it. The ministry is interfering where they aren't welcomed, as usual, and I'm sure something can be worked out about all of this." Hermione nodded and started to wipe her eyes before sighing and slumping a bit more into Ginny's arms.
"I'm sorry Gin, I didn't mean to break down, I don't know what came over me." Gin just tightened her grip and held on a bit more. After a few moments of this the door opened and Ron and Harry walked in, seeing what was going on the boys slowly climbed onto the bed and Harry moved Hermione forward and moved behind her and Ron sat next to him.
This way they all could hold onto each other without causing much of a disruption. Harry wrapped an arm around Ginny and the other around Hermione, Ron took his sisters hand in Hermione's lap and held it as he wrapped his other arm around Hermione's waist just under Harry's arm. Ginny started to let her tears run now that she was being comforted as well. The moment was slowly coming to a close when the door opened and Mrs. Weasley stuck her head in and called out to them.
"Dears, you need to leave soon, it's just 2:30 and you have to be there by 3. Ginny, put some pants on please too." Ginny's face started to heat up exponentially and the boys scrambled up, slightly jostling the girls as the scrambled out of the room, their faces red too.
"One day, I swear, those boys will be permanently walking around with their faces red." Hermione chuckled out and Ginny nodded before getting up and grabbing her shorts from the floor where she'd dropped them. "Let's go Gin." Hermione was now at the door as she held out her hand for her friend to take. They made their way down to the fireplace and Mrs. Weasley held out the bottle with the floo powder in it.
"The boys just went through, I'll have dinner ready by 7, I'll see you two back by then." They hugged her before leaving as well. Once on the other side they walked straight to Harry, Ron and George's side and the five of them made their way to the small group that had gathered by the lifts. Kingsley was standing a few feet away talking with Draco, Hermione studied the blonde man.
She remembered what he had looked like a year ago and it appeared that he had done well for himself. His grin looked more like a smile than a sneer now too. She looked away as he glanced their way and pretended that she had been sweeping the Atrium for other friends. At 3:05 Kingsley called attention to himself and made sure everyone was there. He frowned noticing a few people had not come, he wondered where the three individuals were, not like the Greengrass girls and the Longbottom boy to not show up when summoned.
"Now that just about everyone I've called is here, please take the lift down to my office, on B1 please. I will see you all shortly." He turned back to talking to Draco and the rest of them all made their way over to the lifts. Somehow Kingsley caught sight of Hermione in the crowd and called her over. She excused herself from her friends and made her way over to see what the Minister wanted.
"Yes, Minister? Malfoy." She greeted him curtly and briefly before her attention turned back to the minister. Before the man could talk though a movement behind the two men caught her eye and she focused on it. "Neville! 'Scuse me Minister." She made her way over and helped her friend up off the floor where both Greengrass girls had pushed him over onto. "Really? You're going to be doing such things at the Ministry?" She chastised the girls and they only scoffed at her before moving toward the crowd Hermione had left.
"I'm fine 'Mione, thanks. They came out right behind me and knocked me over." Hermione nodded and the two made their way over to Kingsley where Neville gave his reason why he was a bit late. "I really am sorry about that, I just arrived home from a meeting at Hogwarts when Gran ran me out saying I had to be here. I don't even know what's going on but I was told to open this." He held up both letters from the Ministry which only the one from the Minister looked opened.
"Ah, Longbottom, glad you could make it. Er, before you go down, I suggest running to the loo and reading the first letter. Then make your way to my office right after." He raised his voice to the crowd. "I'll be down there about 3:30, so please, get as comfortable as you can and get reacquainted with friends." He turned to Hermione, just as Neville walked away, and motioned for her to follow. Draco moved toward the crowd and into one of the less crowded lifts quickly, moving out of sight of a curious Hermione.
"Minister, what is it you wanted with me?" He stopped and made sure no one was around before casting a Muffliato around them.
"I would greatly appreciate it if you helped me out with this. I have Draco on as part time, but I have him starting another project and I need his attention there. Hopefully with his help we can prevent something like this from happening again. Now, before you say that you still have a year left, I would love to ask you to work here until I can get a replacement and you can have a year off afterwards.
I have shut down the Department of Magical Nuptials today after the head decided to go around me and have this blasted law passed. I know you've studied some law as well. I would like you to start working through the department and see what you can do to fix it up until I can find someone to take over." She looked at him in shock and shifted her weight around before nodding.
"I'll do it, but once you find someone to replace me, I'm off for a year. No delays please Minister."
"Kingsley, please." She smiled and nodded at his request.
"Kinsgley then." He chuckled and waved his wand before gesturing her toward the lifts. The crowd of 55 people had already made it down she noticed as she turned back to the lifts. When the next one opened Draco Malfoy stood waiting for them to join him, he nodded at Hermione as she entered.
"They're all sitting on configured chairs in your office. I honestly didn't think you could fit this many people in your office." He grinned as he spoke to the Minister.
"I may have put a few charms on my office when you left it earlier Draco. Now, Hermione agreed to work on fixing up the Department of Magical Nuptials, so I expect you two to be civil toward each other. Your pasts are nothing of a mystery to me." He chided them, a smile in his eyes similar to Dumbledore had when he smiled at his students.
"I can do that sir… er, Kingsley…" Hermione quickly corrected as she was given a look from said man and she started blushing when Draco started laughing, causing the older man to laugh in turn. She huffed and crossed her arms. "Really now? Seriously…." She glanced away from them so she didn't notice Draco moving closer till he had an arm around her shoulders and moved his face to whisper in her ear, causing her to jump.
"We're just having a good time 'Mione, lighten up some?" She gave a mechanical nod until Draco let go of her and she semi relaxed, still a bit unnerved at his touch. She really had not expected the way her body would react to his touch at all. She didn't even know goose- bumps could go all the way to her toes. The lift opened up and the three of them stepped off, Hermione quickly making her way over to her friends to sit.
Ok, the list editing did NOT turn out how I wanted it to at all, kinda upsets me that this site doesn't have better editing and/or the saving doesn't cause it to become distorted, had to fix the thing like 3 times. Anyway, there were a few birthdays I had to tweak, years and such, otherwise I got them from ( http:/ /harrypotter. wikia. com/ wiki/ Main_Page ). Reveiw please! :D