At the fire she hesitated, torn between what to do. She knew she had to go to the ministry, that day. But part of her wanted to go to her best girl friend and confess everything about the previous night.

Deciding on the first option, she forced herself to throw in the powder and then to not say she wanted to go to the Potter's but the ministry instead. She had to end it, once and for all.

Arriving at the ministry, Hermione immediately looked around. Even though it was years after the war had ended, she was still amazed at how the ministry had been rebuilt. Flooing into the ministry meant she ended up directly in the main 'lobby'; a huge mostly circular room. The fires lined up against the long wall that was the only straight wall in the room. As someone brushed past her she recalled the large room built specifically for apparation to and from the building. After the Death Eaters apparated from room to room, floor to floor systematically destroying them it became apparent that a certain place needed to be set up for the general population to use for apparation.

She couldn't help but smile as her attention drifted to the elaborate gold fountain that was the focal point of the whole room. During Voldemort's reign the original fountain was replaced with something that could only be described as a nightmare. After his reign ended and his Death Eaters had almost completely destroyed the place, the fountain was the only complete thing left standing. It was also the first thing to be taken down and replaced.

Hermione loved the new fountain's design. It was circular in shape and made of gold. In the centre stood three figures on a mountain; ones that clearly looked like Harry, Ron and herself, all made out of gold. Around them, lower down and slightly smaller were other people that had helped out in the war. Dumbledore stood placidly watching the centre figures. Neville stood proudly with a dead snake beneath his feet. Various other people stood around too. The one Hermione was most surprised and proud to see was none other than death-eater-turned-spy, Severus Snape. She remembered fighting with Harry to get Snape's name cleared and succeeding in doing so.

With one last look at the fountain, she turned and headed for the elevator, automatically reaching out for the third button. She stopped herself in time and looked over the buttons on the wall with no clue as to where she needed to go. As if sensing her hesitation, the elevator began chirping in a high pitched female voice.

Level One: Minister for Magic Offices.

Level Two: Auror Offices.

Level Three: Department of Magical Law.

Level Four: Department of Magical Internal Affairs

Level Five: Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.

Level Six: Department of International Magical Cooperation

Level Seven: Department of Magical Transportation

Level Eight: Department of Magical Games and Sports

Level Nine: The Atrium. You are currently here.

Level Ten: Courtrooms and the Department of Magical Justice

The Wizengamot rooms on level eleven and the Department of Mysteries on level twelve are not open to visitors. For access, a justified case may be presented to the security desk in the atrium. Thank you for visiting the Ministry of Magic, we hope you enjoy your time here.

As the voice finished Hermione scoffed at its last words. She was there to apply for divorce, that in itself was not an enjoyable thing. Sighing softly, she pushed the fourth button and braced herself mentally.

The department was remarkably empty and within half an hour she found herself in a blue and bronze office. Hermione easily would have bet the witch who introduced herself as Feliecia Harlem-Cross was a Ravenclaw at school – the office practically screamed it.

"Are you here alone, my dear?" The older witch asked, pulling Hermione's attention away from the room and back at the witch in front of her.

"Yes." She resisted the urge to say 'clearly'. Then she wondered where that urge came from.

"Why do you want to divorce your husband? Mr Weasley, isn't it? He is a perfectly decent man, a war hero. I can't see why you wouldn't want to be with him."

Hermione launched into her tale, telling it as truthfully as possible. All the while she was wondering how Ron had managed to cover up his newest personality so that no one would believe it when he hurt her.

"I do not believe you."

"Excuse me? I can give you all the memories I have. I have the last one from my daughter right here." She held up a small vial filled with the swirling silvery mist, glad she had remembered to get the memory off Rose before coming to the ministry.

Silently, the witch took the offered vial and put it next to her bronze pensive. She indicated the bowl and Hermione pulled out her wand and extracted all the memories she had of his abuse.

Hermione had to sit and wait as the other witch viewed the memories, returning her ones as soon as she was done. Then Rose's memory was added into the pensive Hermione found herself holding her breath.

When the witch returned to the room, she rebottled the memory and handed it back.

"You can't get a divorce." She stated clearly.

Hermione nearly fell out of her chair at the other woman's final statement. "Excuse me, why not?"

"Your husband needs to be with you."

"That is the point of divorce, so he isn't with me anymore."

"Yes..." The other witch pursed her lips and looked at her disapprovingly. "If you can get your husband to come here with you then we can end the marriage. If not, then there is nothing I can do."

"You've seen what he can do!" Hermione was starting to get panicky.

"With all due respect, memories can be tampered with."

"Question me under veritaserum then."

"Legally we can't do that. You will just have to get your husband in here."

"Why? Why is it so necessary he is here with me?"

"Divorce is relatively new in comparison to all our wizarding traditions. We do not want to become like the muggle world with their constant weddings and divorces, as such, the rules around divorcing are very strict."

"It's not fair!" She was getting upset, sitting on the verge of tears.

Feliecia just stared at her, no expression on her face. She was used to these outbursts by now. Her attention was drawn to the doorway as a man approached and leant on her door frame.

"Mr Malfoy, what are you doing here? This isn't your office."

Hermione's gaze shot up from her hands to the blond in the doorway. He looked at her softly, then back at the older witch.

"I'm aware." His tone was ice cold and in typical Malfoy style. He looked over at Hermione. "Let's go."

She instantly shot up, walking to his side. He met her halfway, snatching the unsigned divorce papers off the table then storming out of the room with his hand on Hermione's back.

She was so absorbed in her thoughts she barely noticed as he led her down several corridors and into a different office, this one decorated in dark oaks and emerald greens. He gently guided her to the sofa in the corner. She was still trying to keep her emotions under wraps but as he put his arm around her she couldn't hide it anymore. She had dared to hope with all her heart that she would be free, but it wasn't to be.

He held her gently, resting his cheek against her hair. He was glad he had found her before she had done something drastic, like hexing the witch. It hadn't been hard to find her; he had first flooed Harry Potter who told him Hermione wasn't there. Both adults were stumped as to where Hermione had gone, but a suggestion from Rose had led him to the ministry. It took him a mere minute to head up to the correct office and find her. He only wished they could have talked before she went to the ministry. He knew that getting a divorce would be difficult and she would need help.

"Why...why wouldn't she let me...?" Hermione hiccupped.

"I hoped this didn't happen. It's an old ancient law." He stated as she pulled herself free.

"Why?"

He sighed, wondering if she wanted the full version or short version.

"I want the full version." She spoke as if she had read his thoughts.

"The law was passed a couple of hundred years ago by a wizard who wanted rid of his wife because she produced him a squib for a son. Back then, purebloods were the only ones to hold seats on the Wizengamot and to produce a squib was nearly a crime. It didn't take long for the wizards to pass a law stating divorces could be granted under very special circumstances. The first stated that the Head of the family, referred to as Head of House could and would annul any marriages he saw unfit. This was to tame any girls who eloped. Sometimes the head of house didn't annul the marriage but disowned the family member or members involved."

"Like your aunt, Andromeda?" Hermione asked softly.

Draco nodded and continued. "Another stated that a couple could be divorced if the woman produced a squib. A few years later it was changed so that divorce could happen if the wizard no longer wanted the witch in his life. Before the new laws, if a woman was unwanted she would often wind up dead from 'natural' causes."

Hermione was outraged, but nodded in understanding.

"That particular law is still around today. After many years when females began to become stronger the rule another law was added. This one is obviously still around. It states, if the wife wants the marriage to be ended she has to get the male to agree. Otherwise the couple will not be divorced excepting in the first two cases."

"Why? I don't agree..."

Draco cut her off. "It was again, another law bought in place for the protection of pureblood marriages. This way, the woman couldn't leave her husband, no matter what. Unless he allowed it, she had to live with it."

"That's outrageous!"

"That's how it is." He shrugged. He didn't care for the laws much, but he had to admit the second law came into play when he wanted Astoria out of his life. That was when he was glad to be a male; after seeing his mother have to suffer for years the last thing he wanted was to be stuck in the marriage his father had arranged.

"What do I do now? There is no way that possessive jerk will let me go?" Hermione leaned back and looked to the ceiling for a distraction.

"I don't know." He admitted softly. "Unless we get rid of Weasel forever..."

"No! Nobody will die." She hit him to emphasise her point. He fake pouted and for a moment she thought he was joking. But the lack of emotion in his steel grey eyes proved otherwise.

"Fine. Seriously though, this won't be easy. We don't exactly have a lot of choices."

Hermione didn't respond, her mind was already thinking as to where she could get a hold of some books to research the annulment laws.

"We should talk to Mother, she might be able to help. And Harry and Ginny will want to help in any way they can."

She absently nodded in agreement, then startled. "You called them by their first names. Willingly."

He chose to ignore that comment, hating how their names had become almost natural to say and think.

"Who is the head of the Weasley House?"

"I'm...not sure." She mumbled. She knew that whoever it was, it would be a challenge to get them to annul her marriage. The Weasleys didn't believe in annulment, something Molly and Arthur had frequently stated to their son, Percy before his marriage.

"We can look that up later. I think the first step would be to tell your friends and ask for help."

"I don't want them involved." She stated, then turning away. "I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me..." She whispered. Not so soft Draco didn't hear her.

"No one will get hurt." He whispered softly into her ear.

She didn't reply, unsure as to how to. As she shuffled away from the close contact that was stirring up her stomach she whispered the question that had been bugging her for a while.

"What? Of course we will be able to get you divorced. It may take us a while, but we will. I swear we will." His grey eyes stared straight into her own chocolate coloured ones and she knew – somehow she just knew – that he meant every word he said.