Chapter 2 The Levelheaded Lioness
Hermione stared at herself in the mirror, her hair was slowly returning to it's usual frizzy and bushy self now that the Sleakeazy's hair potion was wearing off. With Harry's wedding to Ginny the day before she had used a large amount of the potion to tame her hair for the day so she would look beautiful as the maid of honor. She sighed, it was too bad that the potion could not last longer than it did, she loved her manageable hair. She frowned and pulled all of her hair into a ponytail, calling it good enough and left the bathroom across from Ginny's room.
She slowly descended the stairs, heading for the kitchen where all the Weasley's would be gathered, for breakfast. It was awfully quiet when Hermione entered the room and found everyone gathered around Arthur who was reading the daily prophet. Simultaneously the group raised their heads and the color drained from their faces.
"Why is everyone looking at me like that?" Hermione asked worried what nonsense the Prophet had published this time.
Before anyone could answer a large screech owl tapped on the window above the sink. Without a word Molly broke away from the group and opened the window. Without hesitation the owl flew in, dropped a letter into Hermione's hands, before it vanished through the window once more.
"Don't open it!" Yelled Ron jumping forward to snatch the letter from Hermione.
"Why not?" Hermione asked putting her hands on her hips in a very Molly Weasley fashion.
"Dear, I'm afraid I don't have good news for you." Molly said calmly stepping forward. She pulled the paper from her husband's hands and read. "First Blunder or A Step Toward Restoration. Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt has signed the Matrimony and Procreation laws into effect yesterday evening. The new Matrimony and Procreation laws is a way to ensure that the devastating losses of the war and high count of squib births will not allow a depletion of the population of magical folks. Under the law every unmarried witch of legal age will be owled a Ministry selected list of seven wizards and she will have one week to decide which one will become her mate."
Hermione felt the color drain from her face and overwhelming fear grip her chest. After a long moment of shock she held out her hand to Ron. "I'm a Gryffindor and I will face this like I do any other challenge, head on. Now hand over my letter, Ronald."
Ron clutched the letter to his chest. "What if my name isn't one of your choices?"
"We won't know if that's true until I've opened it." Hermione said as she took the letter from Ron. With shaking hands she slowly opened the letter.
"Read it out loud, Dear." Molly said softly.
With a deep breath Hermione read.
"To Hermione Jean Granger,
Under the law of Matrimony and Procreation you will have seven days to chose a wizard from the list provided below and one week after that to be married by a Ministry Official. If you have not followed the law in this time you will be required to appear before the Wizengamot. If you should have any question please feel free to contact the Ministry Office of Registry, Marriage and Family Department.
Greggory Blishen
Head of the Marriage and Family Department
Your Selected List of Eligible Wizards
-Archie Aymslowe
-Darius Berrow
-Roger Davies
-Anthony Goldstein
-Thorfinn Rowle
-Horace E F Slughorn
-Severus Snape"
Everyone immediately began speaking and with all those Weasley's trying to be heard at once it got loud quickly.
"Quiet!" Harry yelled over all the voices. All at once there was silence as the Weasleys stared at Harry. "Read the names of the Wizards again, one at a time."
"Archie Aymslowe." Hermione read.
"Don't chose him." Arthur said at once, shaking his head. "He causes nothing but problems for himself. Can't avoid causing a scene in front of Muggles."
"Dad's right." Ron said with a frown. "You remember at the Quidditch World Cup he was wearing a woman's nightgown and was arguing with that Ministry Wizard."
"Yeah, taking about how breezy it was wearing women's nightgowns." Harry said shaking his head looked slightly amused.
Hermione suppressed a laugh. "Any one have a quill so I can cross off his name."
"Good plan, Dear." Molly said making a quill appear. "He's far to old for you."
Hermione accepted the quill and quickly crossed out his name. "Alright, the next name is Darius Berrow."
"He was a year ahead of me at school." Fred said with a frown. "Slytherin."
"Was he a death eater?" Ron asked.
"Not that the Ministry has been able to prove." Mr. Weasley muttered darkly.
"I'm crossing him off. No need to take chances." Hermione said as she pressed the quill to the paper. "Next is Roger Davies."
"Cho Chang's old boyfriend." Harry said shaking his head.
"A Ravenclaw, good looking too." Ginny said with a suggestive smile.
"He's an idiot." Ron said looking sideways at Ginny.
"He dated a lot of girls at Hogwarts." Harry said with a frown.
"Well, he's not a death eater." Hermione said with a frown. "And he must be some what intelligent if he was sorted into Ravenclaw. I'll leave his name for now. Next is Anthony Goldstein."
"He's a Ravenclaw that was in our year." Harry said with a shrug.
"He was in D.A. with us." Ginny said with a helpful smile.
"I'll leave his name." Hermione said with a slight frown. "Thorfinn Rowle."
"DEATH EATER!" Shouted several voices at once.
Hermione quickly crossed his name off. "Definitely not him! Next Horace Slughorn."
"Really?" Ginny said with a disgusted look. "Professor Slughorn? These Ministry blocks must be bonkers."
"I'm not marrying Old Sluggy, he's far to old, shorter than me, and is far to concerned with other's lives for me." Hermione said with a frown, crossing Slughorn's name off the list. Then stared at the last name on the list for a long moment.
"What's the last name on the list?" Molly asked breaking the silence.
"Severus Snape." Hermione said softly.
"But he's dead!" Harry shouted. "I watched him die!"
"If he was dead then the Ministry would know." Arthur said thoughtfully.
"But how can he still be alive after all that blood loss?" Asked Harry softly. "Nagini bite his throat, there was no saving him."
"He must be alive and accounted for if the Ministry is able to mark him as one of your eligible wizards." Molly said thoughtfully.
"Maybe he's in St Mungo's." Ginny said with a slight frown. "It would explain how the Ministry knows he's still alive."
"I still find it hard to believe that he could have survived." Harry said darkly.
"We could find out if he was a patient by checking out St. Mungo's." Fred said glancing at Hermione. "But by all this talk it sounds like you've decided on him."
"I haven't decided anything." Hermione said with a frown, setting the quill down on the table. "I need to think things through now that I've crossed off more than half the list."
"Well think quickly, Dear. A week is not a long time at all to make a decision and then we have a wedding to plan." Mrs. Weasley said with a motherly tone.
"It's not." Hermione said. She folded up the letter and shoved it in the pocket of her jeans. "I'm going to take a walk and think things over." With that Hermione crossed the kitchen, leaving her breakfast untouched on the table, and walked out the backdoor.